Recycling in Our Community

Outline

Thesis statement: DeKalb County must start a recycling program soon.

I. The County has a few different options for disposing of our garbage.

A. The most popular one is to take it all to the landfill.

1. The landfill is already overflowing.

2. Landfills are dangerous.

B. Another way to dispose of the county's garbage is incineration.

1. Burning the garbage does not make it disappear either; it turns it to ash.

2. The smoke from the burning garbage sometimes has highly toxic fumes.

C. The best option for the county is to start a recycling program.

1. Recycling has many positive aspects.

2. Recycling provides jobs, reduces the need for another landfill, saves energy,

conserves our natural resources, and preserves the planet for future

generations.

II. The number one reason to start a recycling program in DeKalb County is to reduce

the amount of garbage that is taken to the landfill daily.

A. The average American produces 4.3 pounds of garbage every day.

B. Most garbage can be recycled.

III. The second reason to start a recycling program in Dekalb County is to protect our

natural resources.

A. By recycling things such as engine oils and plastics, we would be keeping those pollutants out of our beautiful waters.

B. In the article "Why Not Throw It Away," a few interesting statistics came up.

C. In the video TAPPED, the directors show how plastic bottles end up in our lakes, rivers, and oceans.

III. The third reason to implement a recycling program in DeKalb County is money.

IV. Education is the key to starting and maintaining a recycling program.

A. Janet Boscarino writes an article about a study done at the California State

University, and the results of that study are right on.

B. This study reinforces the fact that education is a major key.

V. Recycling is difficult for all residents here in DeKalb County because no recycling

program is available.

A. In The Social Context of Recycling, Linda Derksen and John Gartrell explore the

concern for the environment.

B. What their study tells us is the biggest reason for DeKalb County residents not recycling is that we have no place to do so.

VI. Implementing a recycling program here in DeKalb County is going to take many

people getting involved and sticking to it.

A. The EPA lists the things we need to do first in order to make a recycling program a success.

B. DeKalb County needs a recycling program, and it cannot succeed without the support of everyone involved.

Recycling Program

For all of us living and raising our families in DeKalb County, there is a great concern that gets overlooked by most. Our landfill is filling up quickly, and the need for a new place or way to dispose of our garbage is a must. In order to stop the landfill from reaching its maximum capacity, we all must start recycling. Some residents already recycle. However, most residents do not recycle for some reason or another. Some people say, "It is not worth my time." Some people just do not see the need to recycle. Some people see the whole process as confusing and inconvenient. However, the main reason most residents do not recycle is that DeKalb County does not offer any kind of recycling program. If we can work together as a community, we can put together a program that will educate residents about the effects of not recycling and answer any questions that might come up about the process. DeKalb County must start a recycling program soon.

We have a few different options when it comes to disposing of our county's garbage. The most popular way is to take it to the landfill. Our landfill is already overflowing, and we are in need of a new one very soon. We need to think about that for a minute. Who wants another landfill in our county? Besides the fact that landfills are smelly and not very pleasant to look at, according to Judith Condon's book Recycling Paper "if they are not properly managed these "landfill" sites [here in DeKalb County and everywhere else] can be dangerous. Rotting waste forms a chemical soup which leaks into the ground. In time the poisonous mixture...can seep into [our lakes] streams and rivers" (8). Another way to dispose of the county's garbage is "incineration" (9). However, burning the garbage does not make it disappear either; it turns it to ash. "The ash left behind still has to be dumped, and smoke from burning process sometimes carries highly toxic chemicals such as dioxins and furans into the air. When breathed in by humans or by animals, these can cause diseases such as cancer" (9). The next and best option for our county is to start a recycling program. Recycling has many positive aspects for the communities we all live in as well as for the planet as a whole. In the Recycling article, the Environmental Protection Agency gives many reasons why we should recycle. Recycling helps make new jobs and secures the competitive aspect of the industrial markets. It reduces the need for more landfills and also reduces the need for incineration. It saves energy and conserves our natural resources. Most importantly, it preserves this wonderful planet for future generations (EPA).

The number one reason to start a recycling program in DeKalb County is to reduce the amount of garbage that the county takes to the landfill daily. The existing landfill is overflowing, and officials