Resource recovery
Resource recovery refers to the process of reclaiming useful materials from waste through methods such as recycling and waste management. It is aimed at reducing the reliance on both renewable and nonrenewable resources while minimizing the amount of solid waste sent to landfills. This practice has gained traction since the post-World War II era, particularly as concerns about environmental sustainability and waste management have grown. Despite its potential economic benefits, many industries have been slow to adopt resource recovery techniques due to various challenges, including market fluctuations that can affect recycling program viability.
Recycling can occur at two levels: primary, where waste is transformed back into the same material, and secondary, where it is repurposed into different products. While recycling rates have improved over the decades, public resistance and economic considerations often hinder broader implementation. Government regulations, like the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in the U.S., promote resource recovery by providing incentives for local governments and industries to pursue alternatives to landfilling. Furthermore, concepts such as industrial ecology view waste as potential raw material, highlighting the importance of creating markets for recycled products. As global awareness of environmental issues rises, resource recovery is increasingly viewed as crucial for sustainability and pollution reduction.
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Resource recovery
DEFINITION: Reclamation of useful materials through methods such as recycling and management of waste products
Resource recovery offers substantial environmental rewards in that it slows the use of both nonrenewable and renewable resources and also lessens the amount of solid waste that goes to landfills. The economic rewards for resource recovery can be significant for industries, but many have nevertheless been slow to adopt resource recovery methods.
Spurred by wartime necessity, the United States practiced various forms of during World War II. In the postwar years a “throwaway” culture developed in which the convenience of simply discarding used or unwanted materials was reinforced by the relative inexpensiveness of increasing numbers of goods. From the 1970s onward, however, this approach came under fire from environmental groups and government. In particular, the problems associated with municipal solid waste, such as and finding landfill space, led many local governments to take steps to encourage recycling. Some passed bottle- or container-deposit laws (by 2023 eleven U.S. states had such laws), and many initiated requirements for the sorting of recyclables (such as paper, glass, and certain types of plastics) by residents for curbside pickup. Other examples of include landfills capturing and selling the methane gas generated as a result of the of wastes and the use of incinerators to generate electric power.
Recycling
Recycling operates at two levels. Primary recycling occurs when the original waste material is remade into the same material; examples include newspapers recycled to make newsprint and glass that is melted down to make new glass products. In secondary recycling, the original waste material is made into something else. Tires, for example, can be shredded and incorporated into asphalt, and some plastics can be reused in some types of fabrics used for outdoor clothing or as carpet fibers.
Recycling programs have met with varying degrees of success. In some cases, the market prices for particular materials have declined and made recycling programs costly to operate. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2018, nearly 46 percent of paper and cardboard waste was recycled in the United States, either by industry itself or by consumers, and 31.3 percent of glass, 8.7 of plastic, 27.8 percent of metal, 34.9 percent of aluminum, 35.5 percent of electronics, and 99 percent of batteries were also recycled. The total amount of recycled waste in 1960 was 7 percent, and by 2023 was 32 percent. The EPA set of goal of having 50 percent of all trash recycled by 2030. Internationally, automobile makers such as Volvo, Toyota, Jaguar, Hyundai, and Nissan encourage the recycling of the components of used cars.
Many consumers are resistant to recycling, preferring the convenience of simply throwing materials away without having to sort them. In the United States, some cities and counties provide economic incentives to recycle; for instance, some charge inhabitants for pickup according to the volume of trash generated. Industries, too, often oppose recycling. Although glass bottles are easier to recycle, the soft-drink industry uses plastic bottles, which are cheaper to transport, and generally opposes bottle-deposit laws.
In 1976 the US Congress passed the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) to address the problems associated with municipal solid waste. The bulk of this legislation deals with requirements for the operation of landfills, but it also provides incentive to local governments and industries to use alternatives to landfilling waste, such as resource recovery. RCRA encourages local governments and industries to use fewer materials and to reuse materials where possible.
Some firms have found that there are substantial economic rewards to resource recovery. According to the concept of industrial ecology, waste should not be seen as a disposable product but rather as potential raw material for future use. Such an approach diminishes the strain put on renewable and nonrenewable resources. The primary incentive is increased profitability, but this approach also has a positive environmental impact by promoting sustainability. Advocates even contend that some wastes that are not currently usable should be stored with an eye to future use. The chemical industry is one example of an industry that makes extensive use of manufacturing by-products and routinely recovers and recycles materials. For industrial to be successful, however, industries need to find or create markets for the products they make from former waste materials. For instance, a hard-goods manufacturer has no incentive to become a maker of polymer feedstock unless a ready market exists for that product.
The positive potential for resource recovery to reduce pollution and slow the use of natural resources is great. It is difficult to achieve resource recovery because many governments, firms, and individuals operate in the present, in which it is more economical or convenient to throw away materials than to reuse them. Solutions are slowly coming, and they often involve a variety of approaches. In some cases, command-and-control governmental regulations, such as RCRA, provide incentive for action. At the other end of the scale, voluntarism, as seen in community-based recycling programs that emphasize the achievement of improved environmental quality, can be helpful in achieving resource recovery as well as in raising public consciousness. Market-based incentives, whether in the form of profits or the avoidance of the costs of acquiring new resources or disposing of waste, also play an important role in encouraging resource recovery.
The concept of industrial ecology emphasizes the economic incentives of resource recovery for firms and governments in both industrialized and developing nations. Individual recycling of postconsumer waste is a good starting point for resource recovery, but it will take industrial action directed toward to achieve a full-scale program of resource recovery. Ultimately, there are limits to how many times a resource can be recycled, but without a program of resource recovery, resources will be used up more quickly, and more pollution will be generated.
Bibliography
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"Summary of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act." US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 6 Sept. 2023, www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-resource-conservation-and-recovery-act. Accessed 23 July 2024.
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