Recycle This!
The recycling debate is not a new one for me. While the world is still warming up to the fact that we need to recycle, we are in actual fact beyond that already. We are now at a point where recycling is the LEAST you should do and not a pet hobby for in order to feel better about your part in the challenge.
The simple truth is that we have gone past the point of where we need to start recycling what we consume. Simply put we need to STOP consuming! As is often said we have become a consumable society.
So now the latest trends are new electronics every few years and to recycle a few bits and pieces. Aren’t we doing our bit for the environment and wow! Aren’t we just great! Actually, NO! We are part of the problem and not the solution.
Let me put this into perspective so that hopefully everyone understands. While we do need to recycle what we acquire, that alone is not nearly enough and I shall explain further.
Most people are still under the impression that when you recycle something, it can be remade into the same thing or similar. For the most part that belief is incorrect. Let’s start with plastics as an example. The plastic bottles from mineral water cannot ever be recycled back into the same bottle.
So most recyclable elements can only be recycled down to something inferior. Just as you cannot make a tree out of a piece of paper, neither can you recycle your car back into a shiny new, improved version of itself.
Plastics lose their clarity, metals are prone to metal fatigue, and so forth. So what happens to what you recycle? Plastics, for example, become recycled plastic containers usually dull in shine and colour. Sometimes they are recycled into new shopping or carry bags. They are also used in products that are not visible as they are not ascetically pleasing as a general consumable rule.
The next challenge we all face is that because of our desire for cheaper products, products HAVE become cheaper. Not only in price, but also in quality. What this means is that we now also replace our goods more often. Cellular phones every few years, Computers once they are out of date, our cars once the problems start, and our appliances once they break down. It is cheaper to buy a new product than to have it fixed.
So where do all these discarded products go to? Do they just evaporate once out of our presence? We all know that they don’t but we really don’t want to face the guilt of the knowledge so we ignore it.
To illustrate this even further let’s take the world’s population at a current approximate 6,800,000,000. If we assume that 1% of the population have a cell phone that is replaced every two years that amounts to 68,000,000 cellular phones that are superseded in this period.
Let’s make another assumption that the same 1% of the population replaces their cars every 5 years, their fridges every 10 years, and so forth. This now begins to paint a picture of huge mountains of rubbish and recyclable good we spew out! There is only so much we can use as recycled goods. What is to happen to the rest?
The next factor to take into consideration is that most forms of recycling produce some form of pollution. This is yet another topic for concern. So we really are in a catch 22 situation.
The only solution is that we, as consumers, need to consume less. Unfortunately we are now held to answer for our own selfishness. The products we purchase in our “modern” age are designed to be replaced regularly.
We simply need to stop replacing goods as often as we do and recycle the rest. Obviously the computer age advances so quickly that the need to replace is great. So let’s make it easy to recycle and reclaim the toxins that are found in computerised products.
Why are we still subjected to printer cartridges with literally millilitres of ink in them that are just thrown away? There is more plastic thrown away than the ink that is consumed. It is shocking that in this day and age the printer manufacturers still favour cash over making durable, refillable printer cartridges! Shame on you all!
Gone are the days where we purchased a vehicle every couple of decades. Along with it are our appliances. My mother’s fridge is older than I am. It is powered by Ford! Jokes aside, it really is a Ford motor. It still has its original door seals. It runs perfectly without fail. It is now probably 45 years old if not more. It has seen two continents and three different countries. It still works in true testament to what man has built. It even still has its original CFCs!
I am not opposed to technological advancement and development. What I am vehemently opposed to is the reckless abandonment of “out of date” products. Build me a fridge that will last 20 years! My fridge is not a fashion statement.
The sad part is that while electronic goods are indeed cheaper in our age, it actually costs us much more over the course of our life time with regular replacement of said goods. Where are the life time warranties that were the pride and joy of manufacturers?
The challenge that faces mankind now is to go back to making quality products instead of money!
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