Taylor+Vala+(Recycling)



Electric Cars (Hallie Turner)

What is it?
 
 * Recycling is turning useful waste products into new products in order to reuse materials and help decrease the amount of Carbon Dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.
 * What Problem(s) is it trying to address?**


 * The main issue Recycling addresses is to reduce the amount of fossil fuels/ Carbon Dioxide being released into the atmosphere. As the consumers, we give off a very large portion of the CO2 being released, that is why with recycling we are trying to cut back by re-using products to make them into new useful materials again. With helping out the environment by recycling goods we help preserve natural resources from being depleted.


 * When is it useful?**


 * Recycling is always needed especially with how much excess Carbon Dioxide is being released into the air each day. By recycling, this helps reduce the amount of watse being sent to the landfills, therefore, we will help keep the Earth cleaner if we participate in recycling. With these landfills, there is a great amount of valuable materials, such as aluminum and paper being put into these landfills, however, with recycling it helps prevent to keep these materials out of the landfills. With recyling these valuable materials can be reused in other forms and not wasted. With lead and mercury, being hazardous materials and chemicals, recycling helps prevent these materials from being exposed to the landfills. If these hazardous chemicals are exposed to the landfills it can contaminate the soil, and later will be accessed into our drinking water.


 * How does the topic relate to one or more of the nutrient cycles discussed in class? Explain.**
 * Recycling can related to the carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, and water cycle, but mainly it relates through the carbon and nitrogen cycles. In our ecosystem, the nutrients from the cycle are stored in forms of fossil fuels, Co2, and and living organisms. This is where both the carbon and nitrogen cycles come into place. All life is based on carbon, and is contained in proteins and carbohydrates. With the carbon cycle, the way that plants release carbon into the air is through transpiration, also, the consumers who consume these plants give off respiration, which also releases the carbon into the air. When living organisms die, or decompose they give off co2 into the air also. Many plants, such as trees, are releasing a great amount of co2 into the air because of human activity. Some of these human activites include forest fires, and our factories, which give off fossil fuels into the air, creating a greater amount of carbon into the air. Without trees, more co2 will be in the air and less oxygen, therefore by recycling we help to reduce the amount of co2 being released, and also save waste materials. Also, if there is too much carbon our earth will heat up and the outcome will be the rise of global warming.
 * The nitrogen is important for the atmosphere because it makes amino acids, which help to create proteins. With going back to the landfills, if hazardous chemicals being exposed and contaminating the soil with hurt the nitrogen cycle. This is because the main component of the nitrogen is bacteria, and bacteria is in the ground (from the decomposers) which helps to create ammonium, which converts into nitrates and nitrites. This is the process of nitrogen fixation, which helps the legumes. With the last process of Denitrification in the nitrogen cycle, it helps to make nitrogens so that the cycle will keep going. However, if they is too much Co2 being released, it will reduce the amound of bacteria and will affect each cycle.


 * Is it a viable solution to protect the biosphere?**
 * Recycling is a viable soulution to protect the biosphere, however, there are not enough people that participate in recycling in which it has had an affect on our atmosphere. An example is that every Sunday morning when your are done reading your newspaper, 90% of the United States wastes this usable product (Earth911, 2009). Therefore, this means that we have wasted about 500,000 trees, where the paper could of been recyled and reused. Also, 500 disposable napkins takes atleast 500 years to decompose. As you see, the United States wastes two of the most valuable waste products that could be later recycled, and reused for other products. In conclusion, these numbers conclude that it could be viable but we as Americans, do not chose to have it be viable to protect the biosphere.


 * What are the possible consequences to the environment?**
 * Some of the outcomes if you do chose to recycle are, you can reduce the amount of CO2 emissions by 850 pounds a year, by recycling carboard, glass, metal, etc. When you recycle alumminum you save 95% of energy in our atmosphere(Headwaters Cooperative Recycling, Inc, 2009). So, if you recycle **one**, alumminum can you can save the same amount of energy for when you have a TV on for three hours long. As you can see my point, recycling does not take alot of energy, and even a small amount you attribute to our world makes a great impact in our atmosphere. With recycling, you reduce the amount of waste products and CO2, and you also can reuse products instead of bringing more waste into the landfills. By help protecting our environment, we help prevent the earth from "heating", and therefore, less chance of global warming occuring.

media type="youtube" key="NYAh3QCdmn8" height="344" width="425"


 * This video shows and explains the process of recycling and how the new products are sorted and made into new products.




 * In this picture it categorizes each recycling section. Therefore, when you recycle you know what items you can put together in the same recycling bin. However, there are some recycling companies who already do the separating for you.



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 * Citations APA**
 * (2009). Recycling Facts. Retrieved October 14, 2009, from Recycling Facts Web site: []
 * Headwaters Cooperative Recycling, Inc (2009). Recycling Facts. Retrieved October 14, 2009, from Why Recycle? Web site: []
 * (2009). How to go green. Retrieved October 14, 2009, from How to go green:recycling Web site: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/recycling/
 * (2009). Retrieved October 14, 2009, from Recycling Web site: http://www.dungog.nsw.gov.au/environment/1066/1465/Image/Recycling0074.jpg