Ryan-Michael Jesus

For Trion’s Call

In today’s world, it is safe to say that recycling is something that is necessary, yet there are not as many people doing it as we would hope. There isn’t really a sense of urgency from the people to go out of their way to start recycling, unless of course if it is extremely convenient or practically effortless for them to do so.

If the island doesn’t do anything to change its habits when it comes to the amount of solid waste it produces, or to the amounts of plastics and glass that can be recycled that end up in the landfills, it will have to face the long-term consequences.

But, is recycling really the only solution to the island’s environmental problems?

Recycling is of course beneficial in a way that it protects the environment, reduces energy consumption, reduces pollution, alleviates global warming, as well as conserves natural resources. Like any other story, there are two sides to it.

According to Conserve Energy Future or CEF, there are quite a few disadvantages when it comes to recycling.

First of all, recycling is not always cost-effective.  Sometimes, there may be a need to establish separate factories to process reusable products. This may create more pollution, as they would go under the process of cleaning, storage and transportation.

Second, recycled products may not last for long. The products may not be of durable quality. Such items are usually made up of trashed waste, which could be fragile and overly used.

Third, recycling is not as widespread on a large scale. Although recycling is a small first step to minimize pollution, unfortunately this process is just a small part of long-term success. Recycling often occurs at small scale- homes or schools and has failed to be useful at a large level such as at industries or holistically at a global stage. Saving paper at schools cannot be compared to oil spills or massive tree felling at the industrial level.

Lastly, recycling has a high initial cost. Setting up new recycling unit involves high cost. This huge cost can come up as a part of acquiring different utility vehicles, upgrading the processing facility, educating residents by organizing seminars and other programs, disposing of existing waste and chemicals etc.

After weighing, the pros and cons of recycling, one can wisely take crucial steps involved in this process. Understanding the impact of recycling is essential on a large-scale which, if done effectively can bring in massive positive results, beneficial to mutual existence of human beings and the environment.

This is when innovation kicks in. Peggy Deneny of i*recycle has major plans for the future of Guam’s recycling scene. Denney explains,

“There is not much being done about glass on Guam. It is a very valuable piece of recyclable goods that could be manufactured into great things, yet we find tons of it broken up in the landfills.”

Denney plans on opening up a small warehouse in which it could be used to manufacture goods from recycled glass. “Innovations such as this would be great for the island and the people”, mentioned Denney.

This could also help create more “green” job opportunities as well. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, green goods and services have accounted for 3.1 million jobs in the United States in 2010 alone.

Else Demeulenaere, the associate director of the CIS (Center for Island Stability), had mentioned that she has noticed the youth of Guam taking creative action.

“I have been to a few schools where they hold little shops of gifts and trinkets made up of recycled materials by the kids themselves, which is a beautiful thing to see the children getting involved at such a young age.”

If we can work together as a community, whether it be creating job opportunities or pushing the imagination and creativity of the kids for the betterment of the island, it shouldn’t be too out of reach until we achieve the long-term environmental

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