Recycling - a waste of time? - Issue 9

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http://www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk/.../recycling.pdf[/font]

By Catherine Rawsthorne, 17, MYP for Bury

We all like to do our bit to save the planet, right? Until the recession hits, that is.

If you listen to some of the critics with their tales of plummeting prices for recyclable materials leading to companies stockpiling paper in warehouses, and grim warnings about recycling actually adding to global warming, you could be forgiven for wondering if it’s all worth it. But before you dismiss recycling as a waste of time and go back to being able to dump your rubbish guilt-free, it’s important to remember just how far we’ve come and exactly what is at stake.

There has been a three-fold increase in recycling rates from 11% in 2000/1 to 34% in 2007/8, and the UKYP’s ‘Recycling: Free It!’ campaign has loads of schools signed up to its joint venture with Oxfam. By stopping now, we run the risk of undermining our success. Certainly, recycled products are as vulnerable to the credit crunch as any other consumer good, but to stop producing them is short-sighted and simply scrapping all of our waste is just burying the problem.

Landfills across the country are running out of space and incineration is a disaster environmentally. Indeed, at a time of recession, surely we should be using our resources more efficiently? Going green is not just something to practice when profitable and it is vital to recycle in order to instil good habits in future generations. Ultimately, a recession is only temporary, but the effects of failing to recycle will cost us the earth.