By Hope-Elena Sardella
The Three Rs + C, is a hefty acronym coined to describe the process of creating sustainability habits by; Reducing, Reusing, Recycling, and Composting. When one contemplates society’s addiction to excessive waste; evidence suggests that garbage actually became an issue after the Industrial Revolution. An illuminating passage states that: “Consumerism created a throw-away society, particularly in the United States, that produced an excess of easy-to-use, disposable items” (Mauch, C., 2016). It is evident that the ever-increasing culture of consumerism in which influenced the industrial revolution; created a society that could no longer remember a time without land-fills. It is apparent that human beings create waste, thus waste does not occur spontaneously. With this in mind, I would like to present the idea that goes along with Michael Braungart’s “cradle to cradle” theory, that it is because of improper engineering of products; that waste exists. Braungart’s He suggests that the makeup of any one product needs to be designed in a manner that could then become the raw materials or nutrients for another (Mauch, C., 2016). I believe the “cradle to cradle” theory could be an answer to our prayer. Although, we cannot stop our efforts in implementing Reducing, Reusing, Recycling, and Composting in our daily lives. I believe a combination of public policies needs to be implemented to cover all basis of reducing waste. One policy I would like to see be implemented is a law that would limit the pounds of waste one contribute to landfills. To make this possible we would need to invest in implementing more recycling and manufacturing plants that run off of clean renewable energy. Secondly, I believe the American government must invest in promoting a culture of recycling. This means providing recycling services for free to everyone, as well as supplying the population with composting bins, recycling bins, and compost and recycling pick up. Lastly, Americans need to purchase their own recycled goods in order to promote the culture of Three Rs + C. After the U.S left the Paris Accord, China continued their efforts in leading the way in their sustainability efforts. Watson reports that “in 2017, China passed the National Sword policy banning plastic waste from being imported”. Sadly, the U.S has been contributing to pollution by shipping the recycled goods on barges to China. Hopefully, in the future, the U.S can create a culture of not just using the Three R + C, but living Three R + C.
References
Mauch, C. (2016). Introduction: The Call for Zero Waste. RCC Perspectives, (3), 5-12. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/stable/26241370
Watson, S. K. (2018, June 28). China Has Refused To Recycle The West’s Plastics. What Now? Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/06/28/623972937/china-has-refused-to-recycle-the-wests-plastics-what-now
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