New Recycling Amendment
May Help Reduce
Greenhouse Gases
By
Ann Lane
Recycling has long been known to be beneficial but in the bill
S. 2191, which is set to be introduced today in the Senate,
recycling is being recognized for its role in fighting climate
change according to the
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI). The act of
recycling is an environmentally friendly task and ISRI is
extremely please that Senator Carper, co-chair of the Senate
Recycling Caucus, values the positive effect that recycling has
on the world around us, including combating global climate
change. The amendment, S. 2191, will set in motion recycling
methods that will help reduce as well as avoid the emission of
greenhouse gases.
The amendment will provide two ways in which recycling will help
the environment. The first is a lifecycle study in which the
benefits of recycling will be measured against the amount of
greenhouse gases emitted with the hope of using recycled
materials in the manufacturing process while also establishing a
method for measuring the amount of emitted greenhouse gases and
designing a certification process for manufactured products. The
amendment will also provided more funding to each state in order
to allow recycling programs to be expanded.
ISRI states that the role that recycling plays in the reduction
of greenhouse gases is a direct result of the reduction of
materials, including natural resources, that would need to be
removed or extracted from the earth. There is also a dramatic
decrease in energy usage when a company can process recycled
materials instead of materials that have never been used.
According to a 2007 study, 31% of people believe that recycling
is the best thing that they can do in order to fight climate
change. Driving less and reducing the amount of energy used was
second and third.
Within the United States, recycling is prevalent with both
public and private companies who recycle a great variety of
materials including tires, paper, computers, bottles, cans, and
even bridges. The ISRI states that many recycling organizations
including the Aluminum organization, Paper Recycling Coalition,
and the National Recycling Coalition support the amendment.
Scrap recycling is a thriving business in the United States that
makes around $65 billion per year and employees nearly 50,000
people. Each year the recycling industry processes about 150
million tons of recyclable materials that range from paper to
textiles. The industry has also invested a good deal of money in
machines that help to sort, pack, transform, manufacture, and
ship new materials that are ready to become new products.
Source:
"ISRI Applauds Senate Committee for Passing Recycling Amendment
to Climate Change Bill" prnewswire URL:
http://www.prnewswire.com:80/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=ind_focus.story&STORY=/www/story/12-05-2007/0004717682&EDATE=WED+Dec+05+2007,+05:37+PM
