Solution Final Draft

Recycle or Die

What is recycling? Recycling is using a product then sending that used product off to be processed and reused for other product containers. Any thing can be recycled, newspapers, Aluminum cans, plastic bottles and glass bottles just to name a few. My proposal will focus on developing a solution for plastic bottle recycling because 86% of plastic bottles sold are not recycled. That is a staggering number when over 40 billion plastic bottles are produced each year. Some 34.4 billion plastic bottles end up in landfills polluting the earth. Although there are recycling methods available, recycling companies (Waste Management of Fairbanks, Alaska and K&K Recycling Inc of North Pole, Alaska) and local businesses (SafeWay, Fred-Meyer, and Wal-Mart) should develop incentives programs for recycling because the current recycling programs are not working, non-recycled material is hurting the environment, and with incentive programs everyone involved will benefit.

In the past few years, the concerns of environmental effects from pollution have taken center stage in our society. Still, with all the information that has flooded the mass media, citizens have not taken recycling seriously. That is because we are a “what have you done for me lately society.” Recycling relies on the consumer with little or no instant gratification. Therefore, most Americans do not see the benefit of recycling; they are to busy to separate the cans from the plastics, the plastics from the paper, they are just too busy. If they did recycle, what difference would one person make? Some states offer a monetary redemption value for certain plastic bottles, but that program only offers a small incentive. The recycling methods used today benefit only the recycling companies. These companies are making profits off the recycled material. They offer curbside pick up or a centralized drop off point, which offers the consumer nothing in return for their efforts.

Fred Meyer, Safe Way or Wal-Mart could integrate the solution to the recycling problem; with their already existing reward card program that their customers use every time they make a purchase. These companies could create a recycling center in the store, and allow their customers to bring there recyclables to the store in exchange for reward points. At the recycling center, the customer would be given a choice to apply the reward points to a percentage off a gas purchase or a percentage off a store purchase. With the number of customers that would participate in the program, the companies would be able to redeemable the rewards on a monthly bases and still make a profit. This would give the consumer the instant gratification that all consumers want, and by allowing them to choose where the rewards are used, makes them feel that they are in control of the situation. This recycling program would benefit the consumer instantly; slowly erasing the environmental effects felt by the millions of non-recycled plastic bottles.

Because millions of plastic bottles are not recycled, bottling companies must produce more plastic. An estimated 17 million barrels of oil are used in the production of plastic bottles every year, and that does not include the millions of gallons of gas used for transporting the bottles. The Ozone layer that protects the earth from the sun is slowly evaporating from the more than 3 million tons of carbon dioxide produced from the production and transportation of plastic bottles. This program would benefit all parties involved.

The grocery stores would gain profits in two ways. Because of the recycling program offered at their stores, customers would increase thereby increasing profits from purchases. They would also profit from the recyclables collected and turned in to recycling companies. Recycling companies would stand to make the greatest profits form this program. Companies would be able to limit there collection points, reducing costs for transportation and the potential man hours needed for sorting would decrease; enabling them to make larger profits from the bottling companies. This would increase in crease there participation in the program. Because their profits will increase, some recycling companies may offer to support the stores with the implementation of the recycling program. This recycling program would not only produce monetary profits, but environmental profits as well.

The environmental impact of this proposal would benefit generations to come. Just a 10 percent increase in the recycling of soft drink and water bottle plastic would save almost 1.6 billion barrels of crude oil used to produce plastic bottles, 72 million gallons of gas used to transport the plastic, and more than 3 million tons of Ozone layer depleting Greenhouse Gas emissions could be avoided. The cost of implementing this recycling program is less than the cost the environment is paying.

The recycling methods available today are not producing the results that the earth needs to sustain life has we know it. The recycling program does not allow the consumer to experience the benefits now. I have proposed a new recycling program that will motivate the consumer to get involved with recycling, while making the benefits felt immediately. Consumers and local business will earn profits from this new recycling program; but the environment will benefit the most.