Oil And Recycling

I got an e-mail from Zac Trahan over at the website TexasTakeBack.org. He asked if I would post an article he had written for that website. I thought the article was very good (and I agree with it), so I am reprinting it here in an attempt to give it a wider readership. I hope you enjoy it:

The still-growing BP spill is a stark reminder of the many dangers and
problems created by our society’s insatiable demand for oil. But as this
disaster forces us to confront these problems and put serious thought
into their solutions, it’s important to understand the connections that
tie them together. Our addiction to oil is fueled by more than
automobiles: it persists because of an attitude that we can consume and
waste our resources as if they have no limits. Trash and recycling are
connected to more than just landfills and green bins. The fact is, our
current produce it-use it once-throw it away society wastes more than
just paper or plastic – it wastes oil, and lots of it. If we can reform
this unsustainable, wasteful system, we can help reduce the need for
drilling anywhere.

Plastic products are a perfect example because they’re made primarily
from oil. Imagine a typical plastic water bottle filled 1/3rd with oil:
that’s how much oil was used to make it. Nearly 10% of U.S. oil
consumption, which equates to approximately 2 million barrels a day, is
used to make plastics. On the other hand, recycling plastic uses only
roughly 10% of the energy that it takes to make it from virgin materials.

There are similar energy savings for other products. Each ton of
recycled paper can save 380 gallons of oil, representing a 64% energy
savings. Recycling aluminum saves 95% of the energy needed to make it
from ore – while throwing away a single aluminum can wastes the amount
of energy equivalent to filling it half-full with gasoline and dumping
it on the ground.

Yet despite the clear benefits of recycling and reuse, many places in
Texas have very low diversion rates. Recycling isn’t always as easy and
accessible as is should be while many consumer products such as
electronics and foam packaging simply aren’t designed to be recycled.
This is due in part to the fact that the original manufacturers of such
products currently bear little or no responsibility for recycling their
own creations. Local governments—using your tax dollars—are left holding
the proverbial plastic bag, and they can only afford to do so much in
this time of serious budget shortfalls. Texas also has very weak
environmental standards for landfills. Combine these factors with heavy
tax subsidies for landfill space and we’re left with a system in which
dumping our consumer goods is far more profitable than recycling – up to
ten times more profitable, according to industry insiders. This is a
huge reason why recycling programs aren’t available in every community,
home and business.

Clearly, we can do better. Trash and landfills aren’t any more
inevitable or necessary than oil spills. Waste is simply a design flaw,
one that can and must be solved if we are to create a sustainable
future. Recycling isn’t a silver bullet, but rather a tool that’s proven
effective…and in need of sharpening.

The BP spill may very well be the worst environmental disaster this
country has ever seen. Collectively, Gulf fisheries and coastal
industries make up the 6th largest economy in the world. The planet’s
most productive gulf fishing grounds may be destroyed not just this
season, but for years to come. No matter how you feel about drilling,
coal or nuclear, stopping waste means reducing the need for energy along
with all the present and potential problems that come with it. Recycling
and reducing waste at its source is more than a “feel-good” way to “go
green;” in many ways, it’s also part of a long-term strategy to help
prevent the next oil spill.

Let’s hope that if nothing else, this latest human disaster leads us to
comprehend the underlying currents connecting a sea of problems and how
our individual and collective actions control the tides."

Zac Trahan
Program Director
Texas Campaign for the Environment