From the documentary “Bag It”, to the video on vice.com, and the reading on National Geographic, it’s incredibly obvious that plastic is a problem. However, the recycling process seems to be an even larger and more insidious problem. After educating myself, I saw that I personally fell victim to the mindset that recycling = doing my part in environmental conservation. In reality, there’s a lot I could/should do before tossing something into the recycling bin. I definitely felt disillusioned after watching the documentary, and Jeb Berrier even mentions that over-policing of environmentalism can lead to apathy.
I never thought that recycling would become this large of an issue, but it seems to be even more omnipresent now that China has implemented stricter laws regulating imported recyclables. It also isn’t just on a governmental scale, I notice it seeping into my daily life in Shanghai as well. However, having laws and regulations is only half the solution. The general consensus is that individuals should start by reducing and reusing the waste that they create. The trash in the world doesn’t just disappear, so instead of adding to the pile and thinking that recycling will take care of the situation, we should slow down consumption in the first place.
In the National Geographic article, Jenna Jambeck says “It will take time to develop and expand domestic systems and markets and to change product design.” It’s not merely a matter of consumers changing habits or governments passing laws, there are multiple industries that have to change and re-model themselves around sustainability.
It’s a large responsibility to save our planet, and I think it’s not feasible for one group of people (i.e. general public, recycling industry, manufacturing industry, government) to take on the burden. However, the import ban in China may just be the kick the world needs to re-structure what environmentalism really requires from large industries all the way down to individual people.
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