Winning Essay by Melyssa Brown

It is our responsibility to look after the Earth, the only planet an which we as humans can currently survive. So why do so many of us continue to use this great milieu as our personal dump? Recycling is one of the easiest, but also one of the most important ways to maintain a healthy and clean environment. Can you imagine living in a world filled with landfills and no green space? Luckily since the mid 1980s, when recycling began, work against this grim future has been gaining ground.

We are so fortunate to live in a place where children have been able to climb trees and play soccer in the grass. To ensure this same enjoyment for our future children and their children we must recycle, and thus limit pollution, and do it correctly. The most commonly recycled items are paper, glass, cardboard, cans, textiles, and plastics. Separation and cleanliness is key. The small amount of energy we use to recycle properly makes all the difference in the world. When non-separated items appear in the wrong facility in can cause damage to the machines, costing millions of dollars. This is a set back for the purity of the environment and the recycling effort.

Paper mills are one of the facilities that are extremely valuable to our American way of life. They produce newspaper, cardboard boxes, and printing paper from recycled paper and cardboard. Papermaking fibers can be recycled up to 6 or 7 times. It is an amazing thing that some of us take for granted. We have the power to make something old, new again. That is one of the greatest gifts we could ever have and we should never waste it. If people could realize this every time they dispose of a recyclable item, they might make better choices before dumping something that really belongs in the blue bin into the garbage can. We need to be responsible for our own waste.

Before reaching the paper mills and other specialized plants, products of the blue bins pass through the recycling plant doors. These large plants collect assorted types of recycled items and separate them to be used by facilities such as paper mills and reclamation places. This process takes a large number of people and a great deal of money to keep it going. The price of recycling is extremely expensive. In New York city alone the recycling cost per year is estimated at about $57 million. However, the cost becomes irrelevant when you see the importance for the future of humans, animals, and plants. We can never end recycling due to its importance for every living being and the continuation of our society as we know it.

But what can a single person do in this quest for a better world? Anything, from something as simple as posting signs in your school to raise awareness, to joining your school's environmental club. If your school does not have an environmental club, perhaps you could start one. It may sound nerdy at first, but you would be surprised at how many people care about the future of the planet. Preserving our Earth is something with which everyone can help. There are so many interesting activities available. From an earth day clean-up, to a bottle and can-drive; you can have an eco-friendly jewelry sale, selling jewelry that is made only from recycled objects. Other everyday ideas can include the use of recycling bins throughout the school classrooms and hallways to the recycling of clothing by donating and purchasing from consignment shops.

Together we have the ability to create a world with hope. It is a right that future generations have, to live in a world where they can feel safe and happy. Recycling helps achieve this by clearing the amount of ugly landfills we have and renewing our resources for future generations. Recycling represents the efforts of human beings to help make the world a more natural place for everything. Recycling represents the successful continuation of our species. The blue bins are a strong symbol and practical everyday solution to what we, the people, can do to start the recycling process.