Recycling

Recycling: Is It Good or Bad' Recycling is something that has always interested me, but not for the reasons that most people are interested in it for. I’m not into it for saving the earth, or helping to decrease the amount of trash. I’m interested in recycling because I want to know if it is truly more cost effective and easier to recycle, then to not. So when searching for a good Web site to use for this research, I looked for one that gave this information plus more. The first Web site I found was Recycler’s World. Within ten seconds of finding this page I realized it would not be a good source to use. On the home page of the site it states that, “Recycler’s World was established to promote the trade of scrap and waste materials.” (Recycler’s). When I saw that statement I knew this would not be a source used for the research I was looking for. As I explored the Web site further, I noticed that it did not provide information about recycling like why it was good, was it cost effective, etc. It provided a blog for the owner of the site to update it user’s on current information, but other than that there was not much useful information. This site would be extremely helpful if the user was looking to trade their scrap and waste materials. However, that was not what I was looking for. This site would not be usable for researching this topic. Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) was the second site I found. This one showed to be a reliable and useful source. On the home page was their mission statement and what they strive to do. Also on the home page is what RRS specializes in: “Government and Public Agencies, Business and Industry, Colleges and Universities, Health Care, and Non-Profits.” (Resource). The basic mission of RRS is to bring real-world green solutions to a multitude of places. On the left side of the home page are links to tell you about RRS and what they do. The first link is About Us. This is an overview of what is talked about on the home page, only in more detail. There are additional link to click on to help someone learn more about the site: Mission and Approach, Staff Profiles, Strategic Alliances, Client Testimonials, Career Opportunities, Memberships, and Community Involvement. These links can help anyone who is looking to start recycling. The other links on the home page besides About Us are: Services and Solutions, Who We Serve, Project Showcase, Contact Us, Links/Resources, News, and Event Calendar. What I like most about RSS is that they provide the average person with a variety of information about what their organization does, how one can help, and why recycling is good. This Web site would be extremely useful in my research. The third site I found was Earth911. Like the first Web site I found, Earth911 gave almost no information about recycling. It is a site mostly based on finding a recycling center near someone and reading articles different people have wrote. To see if this Web site is legitimate, I searched to find a recycling center near Warrensburg that would recycle aluminum cans. It told me that there was nowhere near Warrensburg that would recycle these items. This would be very frustrating for someone who was looking to recycle. If someone wants to recycle and there is not a center near them, they will more than likely decide not to. Although this site does give a brief description about what recycling is, it does not offer much more information than that. This would not be a helpful Web site for this research project. The National Recycling Coalition (NRC) is the final Web site that I found. I noticed this site was legitimate when I first saw it because it is a dot org. The NRC has 6 links for further information: Members, Partners, Consumers, About NRC, Events, and Programs. The Members link explains what a member of the NRC does and how someone can become one. The Partners link shows how someone can support the NRC and become an active Partner. The About NRC tab explains their mission statement, history, what they do, and how someone can help. This Web site would be extremely helpful for anyone looking to recycle and trying to figure out how they can help the Earth stay clean for the future. After viewing all four of these sites, I have found that recycling is a larger thing than I once thought. One needs to have the time, energy, and want to recycle. The NRC and RRS are two Web sites that are great resources on how to get started, and where to take the materials once one has separated them. Recycler’s World and Earch911 are two Web sites that would not help someone with recycling. They are both too brief with their information. These are sites directed more towards those who already know about recycling and how to get involved. The information that I found left me informed enough to say that it is important to recycle. Not only for the health of the Earth, but also the people. Remember: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Works Cited Earth911. 2010. Web. 30 March 2010. National Recycling Coalition. 2009. Web. 30 March 2010. Recycler’s World. 2010. Web. 30 March 2010. Resource Recycling Systems. 2010. Web. 30 March 2010.