I've recycled when and where I could ever since I could remember and it's disheartening to see the effects of littering or misuse of resources resulting in unnecessary waste and adverse effects on our environment. Recycling is part of the solution, but the problems go much deeper than that and recycling is not always possible... of feasible... and many times when we think we are recycling, our efforts to sort and place "recyclables" into the proper receptacles are in vain because much of it ends up in landfills. But landfills are not the main problem. The problem is not properly managing waste or raw resources in the first place. Many of the atrocities we are acutely aware of are in third-world countries and serve as an example of how NOT to manage waste. When we outsource our manufacturing to countries that don't have adequate infrastructures for manufacturing and agriculture, the environment suffers, most especially in their communities.
Many of our problems can be managed at the consumer level. It goes beyond sorting out our recyclables and putting them into the proper receptacles. It starts with our purchasing decisions. 1) Purchase only items we need. 2) Don't make unnecessary trips in our motor vehicles or aircraft. Look for items that have minimal packaging, if possible. 3) Next, don't litter. I've seen people intentionally throwing trash out of the windows of their vehicles or just drop items on the ground or leave their trash behind in classrooms or whatever. There are people who want to save a few bucks in dumping fees who dump their trash, furniture, tires... even toxic waste, in vacant lots or in ditches along less-traveled roads. How could anyone with a conscience do this? 4) If you cut a tree down, plant another one... or two. Or just plant a tree or two regardless. 5) Be careful to avoid introducing non-native species, especially invasive species. Many are introduced accidentally by transport, agriculture or exotic pets and fish released into the wild. Some are intentionally introduced as a means to manage ecological problems, which further upset the natural balance. Florida is FULL of non-native species. Only buy or plant native plants for your yards. 6) Reuse items that would normally be thrown away. Trash bags are not a bad thing, if managed properly. We can use and reuse them over and over again and if possible, in the end recycle them. Many items that we see as trash can be reused or donated to charities and even if they are broken or don't work can often be recycled for scrap. It's hard work, but I've generated hundreds (possibly thousands) of dollars dismantling electronics and appliances for scrap metals. It put a few extra dollars in my pocket to pay for equipment that I couldn't afford otherwise. 7) Even if you didn't make the mess, clean it up anyway. Besides being involved in designated clean-up activities, we can do this every day, in every situation and in any location. It's really not a big deal to pick up a random piece of trash and dispose of it properly. Really.
In the United States and Canada, I think we've come a long way in managing our resources, but we could still do better with a few tweaks here and there. We ALL generate trash and consume resources. Awareness and education to learning how to minimize our impact and how to properly dispose of waste can make our communities better and cleaner. Yes, it takes a bit of effort, but if EVERYONE put forth a little more effort, the results could be astounding.
