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Essay Subject: Discusses effects & conflicting interests of processes. Growth of recycling industry. California laws.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Discusses effects & conflicting interests of processes. Growth of recycling industry. California laws. Paper Introduction: Recycling is a major issue in this increasingly "throw-away" society. It covers every aspect of our lives - packing materials, empty bottles and cans, garden trimmings, old tires, used computers, even "used" water. Ten years ago, laws were passed in California requiring cities to reduce the amount of trash taken to landfills by 50 percent by the year 2000, and this has led to a push for recycling wherever possible (Surman, 2000). This paper will look at several recycling measures which are being instituted and the effects of these measures. Ventura county is a farming region, and the farmers there use tons of green waste trucked in from Los Angeles county. The problem is that, while most of the green waste is just that - lawn trimming, garden waste, etc. - sometimes other types of garbage are included in the mix, and this presents problems for farme Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. The centers are self-service and keepthe same schedule as the supermarkets. The average cathode ray tube used in computermonitors contain five to 8 pounds of lead that can leach into ground waterif they are dumped in landfills, or into the air if the are incinerated.Computers also contain toxic chemicals such as cadmium, mercury andchromium, found in the circuit boards, and brominated flame retardants inthe plastic housings. Expanded recycling push hasyet to take off. (2 , September). Too manyproducts become obsolete too soon, and there are just too many disposableproducts on the market for them to be simply discarded after use. (2 , July). It was developed to maintain a water supply during droughtconditions for this desert region. Other recyclers, such as Rubber Technology International, turn theminto traffic cones and garden hoses. Thispaper will look at several recycling measures which are being institutedand the effects of these measures. One proposedsolution is to impose fines on farmers who accept dirty green waste to cutdown the risk of contaminating crops, or contaminating nearby water byrunoff. The program includes beer,soda, wine coolers, pre-packaged ready-to-drink beverages in aluminum,glass and plastic containers, and now includes bottles from such drinks ascoffee, tea, and water (Harris and Cuza, 2 ; Warren, 1999). Marshall, E. State of redemption: California hasexpanded its cash deposit law to include containers for water, fruit juice,sports drinks and tea. It is then disinfected to kill any remainingbacteria or viruses. It is not just local recycling which affects California. The EVRP indirect potable reuse project still does not have publicapproval, though it would reclaim 8 , acre-ft of water per year from theDonald C, Tillman Reclamation Plant. The recent problems with tread separation on Firestone tires has ledto a recycling boon for tire recyclers (Gold, 2 ). Now that we have the ability to recycle, we must exploitit to a maximum.Recycling is a politically complex issue in many instances, withmanufacturers pitted against consumers, and lobbyists for businesses pittedagainst environmentalists. One product is recycled, then turned into dozens more, all ofwhich will eventually need to be recycled themselves. This sudden influx of millions of old tires has boosted theirpotential. Los Angeles Times, p. Los Angeles Times, p. A1. However, many people still do not realizethey can cash in their bottles and cans, and that they are passing up thisrefund by putting them in curbside recycling containers. CivilEngr., 6, p. Recycling is not an option anymore, it is a necessity. Farmers arepaid $15 a ton to accept green waste from Los Angeles. References Alexander, K. Nothing could be simpler for the customer. A similar program, in the Dublin SanRamon Services District east of San Francisco, although ready to go sinceSeptember, 1998, is still not operational due to public scrutiny andpolitical pressure. Los Angeles Times, p. Consumer groups are urgingmanufacturers to "take back" their products after they become obsolete. Most of this money is pumpedback into the recycling industry, including supporting curbside recycling.The law also requires at least one redemption site within a half-mile ofevery supermarket to ensure consumer convenience. 17. Conservation measures cando only so much. (2 , June). The problem is that, whilemost of the green waste is just that - lawn trimming, garden waste, etc. It is estimated that by 2 4, 315 million more will becomeobsolete. 1 . Warren, J. All public agencies have certifiedthe water as fit for human consumption, but so far, no humans want toconsume it. This refund moneyis thus returned to the state where, Marshall contends, it is raided tospread around to other special interest lobbyists to help win support forthe environmentalist bill. Business Plus: Heard on thebeat/high tech: Talkin' trash - the recyclable kind, that is. Ellingwood, K. Apartfrom this, natural resources are not unlimited. Because stored tires create health and fire hazards, stateregulations only allow storage depots to keep 3 , tires at a time, sotruckers who pick up the tires and haul them to recycling plants at $1 atire are also benefiting from the tire recall. The tiresare ground to crumbs which are turned into asphalt, playground surfaces,running tracks, equestrian arenas, basketball courts, and floor mats. Environmental activists say thatpollution from the piles of lead waste is carried by rain, and may bepoisoning a neighborhood of more than 1, families living below it. Although the cost can be redeemedat a recycling center, he points out, most consumers don't have the time,and forfeit the redemption for the sake of convenience. Very little cannotbe recycled in one way or another. Tenyears ago, laws were passed in California requiring cities to reduce theamount of trash taken to landfills by 5 percent by the year 2 , and thishas led to a push for recycling wherever possible (Surman, 2 ). Ventura county is a farming region, and the farmers there use tons ofgreen waste trucked in from Los Angeles county. Californians AgainstWaste say the state's recycling rate for CRV containers is more than doublethat for non-CRVs (Cuza, 2 ). California and the West: More beveragesare added to bottle, can recycling plan. O. They get paid $2 per ton for the tires they accept, andalso make a profit from the goods made from the recycled tires. Recycling is a major issue in this increasingly "throw-away" society.It covers every aspect of our lives - packing materials, empty bottles andcans, garden trimmings, old tires, used computers, even "used" water. Both these multimillion dollar projects are on holdbecause the public simply does not trust recycled waste water, even thoughall tests have shown it to be perfectly safe, and cleaner than watercurrently in use from other sources. Recycling has become a vast industry: just looking at the tirerecycling industry and the many businesses it spawns shows how complex theprocess is. Manufacturers don't want their products included in therecycling program because it adds to their costs: they are required to paya processing fee to cover the costs of recycling. Huge monetary sums are involved on both sides.The recycling processes themselves often result in conflicting interests,such as the need for cities to dispose of their green wastes, but thefarmers fears of toxic substances or crop diseases infecting his lands. Los Angeles Times, p. 3. With millions oftires being replaced, the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians agreed to acceptalmost 5, Firestone tires a day for the next year from dealers acrossthe Southwest. B2. Cuza, B. C. Containers of milk, wine andliquor, infant formula, medical products, and cardboard juice boxes are noteligible for redemption because of legislative politics (Warren, 1999).Lobbyists have fiercely resisted their inclusion in the redemption program(Cuza, 2 ). Marshall (2 ) contends that the recycling law merely increases thecost to all consumers who buy beverages. Grass waste from other side of county linenot greener. (2 , February). (2 , May). Others find iteasier to recycle at curbside rather than gather all their empty containersand take them to recycling centers to collect their refunds. For recyclers, a silver lining in thetreads. Under the program, consumers pay a 2.5 cent deposit on smallcontainers and a 5 cent deposit on larger containers (Warren, 1999). B 8. It is estimated that Californianscurrently recycle 75 percent of CRV containers, and this means 25 percentof their deposit money goes to the state. Ten years ago, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Powerintroduced a significant water recycling program, the East Valley WaterReclamation Project (EVRP), which is nearing completion (Freeman and Spivy-Weber, 2 ). S.-Mexico border (Ellingwood, 2 ). The water is monitored throughout the process, and will be muchcleaner than ground water, which originates from neighborhood lawnspolluted by fertilizer and dog wastes, from agricultural fields sprayedwith pesticides, and water runoff from oil-polluted streets that flowsthrough the ground and into the aquifer. E. Studies show that in 1998 alone, 21 million personal computers becameobsolete in the United States (Briggs, 2 ). An in-depth look at people and policiesshaping Southern California: What to do with old computers? The law does appear to be working, however. A3-2. (2 ). The smelter has recycled car batteries into lead ingots for 12 yearsand is now a crumbling shell surrounded by piles of lead-tainted powder.It was abandoned by the owners after the Mexican government ordered itclosed in 1994 because it failed to dispose of hazardous waste properly.The commission hopes to embarrass Mexico into cleaning up the site. Themachines sort the containers and spit out receipts which the customercashes inside the store. The EVRP treatswater three times, until it meets safe drinking water standards for thepresence of nitrogen. Los AngelesTimes, p. (2 , May). The most troublesome components for recycling are the plastics, sincethere are no standardized products used in the industry, and recyclersspend a lot of money sorting out the various kinds of plastics used bydifferent manufacturers. 24. Los Angeles Times, p.1. For instance, if a homeowner buys a diseased plant from anursery, then dumps it in the green waste bin when it doesn't thrive, itmay harbor many spores which can then infect plants and trees on the farmswhere the green waste is used. Now, automated recyclingcenters are cropping up in supermarket parking lots, making recycling evenmore convenient (Alexander, 2 ). The problem lies in the fact that compost,which is typically used as fertilizer, has been heated to kill off toxins,but green waste is mostly unregulated by the state and the onlyrequirements are that it contain less than 1 percent contaminants, andthat it be chipped. Indirect potable reuse hits snags in California. The state uses the money to subsidize hundredsof companies to collect, sort, clean and ship the bottles back to thefactories to be melted down and reused. California and the West: panel to probeMexican lead recycling plant. If people don't see the CRV on the label, theydon't realize the program has been expanded. Sometimes there is no use for them so they areground up, and like the recycled tires, used in paving materials where theymake street surfaces smoother. (2 , April). Los Angeles Times, pp. A specialpanel has been set up by the United States, Mexico and Canada toinvestigate alleged enforcement lapses at an abandoned lead recycling plantin Tijuana that has become a symbol of ecological neglect on the U. Almost 99 percent of acomputer can be recycled. In this way, Marshall points out,the consumer is footing the whole recycling bill. Since the problem of computer recycling isonly likely to increase in years to come, the California Integrated WasteManagement Board and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works nowhave materials exchange programs that allow businesses and individuals tofind markets for their unwanted goods. While most people agree that many of the farmers complaints stem fromthe esthetics of spreading trash on their land rather than any real danger,the mixing of ordinary trash with green waste is not without potentialproblems. Theasphalt blend made from recycled tires is softer than traditional pavement,which makes it quieter and more durable in harsh weather and easier oncars, making it an environmentally friendly product. The Orange Grove: Sacramento powerpolitics. Some beveragemanufacturers fear that the per-container deposit will hurt sales, butstudies have shown that 88 percent of Californians save their bottles andcans for reuse (Warren, 1999). Drink makers put upapproximately $19 million a year in processing fees to help offset thecosts of recycling. Neighborhoodrecycling centers now have extra bins for these newly-included containers,but say it is taking a while for people to realize what they are for(Harris and Cuza, 2 ). Peopleare being encouraged to donate their old computers to Goodwill Industries,who refurbish them and sell them in their stores. Los AngelesTimes, p. These fees amount to a tax on the business, and thisis why manufacturers don't want their products included in the program.Manufacturers believe it would be more effective to expand curbsidecollection programs, since beverage containers comprise only 2.5 percent ofdisposed waste. In one case, a farmer's green wasteincluded oil drill mud, the compound that drillers use to lubricate bits.Others have found plastic bags and toxic materials in their green waste. Gold, S. This will increase costs to the middle men who chip and transportthe waste from the city to the farms, but cities such as Los Angeles have alot of green waste to get rid of: about 37 percent of total trash recycledis yard waste. Theconsumer can get the money refunded by returning their containers to arecycling center, or donate the money through curbside recycling programswhich serve almost two-thirds of single family homes in California. Of these, only 11 percentwere recycled. The water then begins a five-years journey throughsand - nature's natural cleaning filter - where the nitrogen is removed andthe recycled water is mixed with other ground water sources within theaquifer before being pumped and blended with the city's other watersupplies. These hoses are preferred by manygardeners because the rubber is already treated to repel ultraviolet light,and so they last longer. (1999, December). Recycling is an economic necessity inmore ways than one: providing jobs, creating new products, safely disposingof toxic substances, conserving natural resources, and preserving theenvironment for the future. Valley Perspective:perspective on water. (2 , February). For cities, shipping green waste to farmers reduces the amount ofgarbage sent to landfills, and reduces their disposal costs. Los Angeles Times, p. Theextension of the law to include more containers was in response to reducedbottle recycling rate in recent years (Cuza, 2 ). -sometimes other types of garbage are included in the mix, and this presentsproblems for farmers (Surman, 2 ). A3. Othershave ended up in landfills, where they present a problem because of thechemicals they contain. Briggs, J. The Quantum Group in Tustin is experimenting withis experimenting with ways to reuse old tires, such as making new tiresfrom old. Water recycling can address supply issues in times of drought and intimes of abundance while providing safe drinking water. Customers feed containers intomachines which have laser scanners capable of recognizing thousands ofdifferent container designs and determining their deposit value. (2 , June). B2. Harris, B., & Cuza, B. About three-quarters of all computers every bought in the UnitedStates are now being stored either in warehouses, offices or homes. Los Angeles Times, p. When they are too oldfor further use, they are disassembled and the parts salvaged and resold.Hard drives are valued for their aluminum content; copper is harvested fromcomputer wires and cables; monitors are shipped to companies which recyclethe glass and use smelting techniques to get rid of the lead; gold, silverand other precious metals present in trace amounts in circuit boards arerecovered; and steel and plastic are also recouped. Surman, M. The program was approved by the City of Los Angeles, theDepartment of Health Services, and the Los Angeles Regional Water QualityControl Board. In California the problem is being addressed in a novel way. California has extensive recycling available for bottles and cans, aprogram launched in 1987 and expanded as of January 1, 2 , whichencourages recycling by offering a refund, known as the CaliforniaRedemption Value (CRV), on recycled containers. Freeman, D., & Spivy-Weber, F. 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