Should Recycling Be Mandatory?

by SodaHead Living Posted 2012/04/17 19:50:20

Related Topics: Earth Day, Earth, Vote, Recycling, 2012, Bag, Survey, Recycle, Image, Planet, Images

1,142 votes
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	Yes	718 votes	63%
	No	424 votes	37%

It's time to break out the reusable bag, recycle those bottles and just start appreciating the Earth, people. Because Earth Day 2012 is almost upon us! This year, Earth Day lands on Sunday April 22 and it'll be the 42nd year that the planet has been celebrated. But, we've got to ask: how do you feel about the Earth?

Do you consider yourself environmentally conscious? Are you willing to pay more to buy organic products? And what about recycling? Let us know how into the planet you are with our Earth Day Quick Vote. Trust us: The Earth will appreciate it. And so will we.

+20

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Freedom4 2012/04/17 23:36:09

No

+8
I recycle and fully support anyone willing to do so. I encourage anyone to do so. I do not however support mandates of any kind really. The last thing we need are vastly expensive trash nazis digging through our trash.
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More polls by SodaHead Living

Beccy 2012/04/18 00:43:02

Yes

+1
Just as it was during WWII

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Fef to Beccy 2012/04/18 01:32:20

+1
FDR also had internment camps for Americans in WWII

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Beccy to Fef 2012/10/07 20:28:15

We will not agree on FDR but I still like you. I know he did. I was thinking about how things can be recycled so stop the waist

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Gracie - Proud Conservative 2012/04/18 00:37:30

No

+5
I recycle more than most liberals that I know but it should be voluntary. I don't want any more mandates, it's fascism.

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budgeri... to Gracie ... 2012/04/18 01:02:48

So, there shouldn't be compulsory education either? The government forces us to do that, and it only helps us.

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Gracie ... to budgeri... 2012/04/18 01:08:00

+5
Education is a wonderful thing, too bad government intervention has destroyed it. I think you should have the choice about where your children are educated, and that applies to the poor who often don't have the choice. I believe in school choice and vouchers to get poor children out of horrible schools.

Just because we believe in education doesn't mean they should intervene in every aspect of our lives. Do you think we're too stupid to take care of ourselves? They do.

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budgeri... to Gracie ... 2012/04/18 01:28:57

How would mandatory recycling be bad?

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Fef to budgeri... 2012/04/18 01:33:21

+4
The word mandatory defies freedom

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budgeri... to Fef 2012/04/18 01:42:00

If everything was free, we'd have chaos.

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ppk007@... to Fef 2012/04/18 14:08:40

LOL - you are mandated to drive on the right side of the road, in this country ....why don't you exercise your freedom to drive on the left side and let me know how that works out for you. Point - somethings must be mandated for the good of the entire public.

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Gracie ... to budgeri... 2012/04/18 01:48:24

+1
You might want to rethink the idea that you consider yourself a Libertarian if you are even asking that question. What are you going to do to people who refuse to recycle, arrest them or fine them? People crave freedom and making everyday things mandatory flies in the face of freedom.

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budgeri... to Gracie ... 2012/04/18 01:56:38

+1
Well, they shouldn't be punished, but surely recycling is important, no?

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Gracie ... to budgeri... 2012/04/18 01:59:42

If it's being used appropriately, sure. I probably recycle more than most people. I do country recycling that consists of plastics and glass and then we personally recycle aluminum that we get paid for. We also take our cardboard (that's more than you think when you breakdown all the packaging) and our newspaper and regular paper to the local Meals on Wheels so they get money from it. I can't think of anything else I could recycle, am I missing anything?

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Elaine ... to budgeri... 2012/04/18 02:21:41

No... it is NOT important, if it were important those twisty light bulbs full of MERCURY would be ILLEGAL instead of the only bloody thing you can buy.

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budgeri... to Elaine ... 2012/04/18 02:24:29

They're more energy efficient than regular light bulbs.

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De-Dee to budgeri... 2012/04/18 12:07:40 (edited)

Yeah but mercury isn't that great for the environment is it? And your everyday person just tosses the dead bulb with mercury vapor into the trash, where eventually they break. My Environmental Science professor is the only person I know that puts all of those bulbs in a box in his basement. He doesn't know what else to do with them. BTW did you know most of the stuff that we "recycle" just gets sent to developing countries, or in a round about way right to a landfill just like the rest of our junk.

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budgeri... to De-Dee 2012/04/18 20:22:45

Then the government should make the recycling stuff go to a recycling plant.

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John "By God" American 2012/04/18 00:34:23

No

+4
I do it because it's my choice and I think it's stupid not to recycle. But, if I'm required by a gov't bureaucracy, I won't do it...

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Sarah Alexander 2012/04/18 00:32:36 (edited)

Yes

People don't seem to care so if it takes a law to make them take care of the planet they should be taking care of anyway then I support it! (just wish it wasn't necessary) I recycle and compost everything that can be, it should be mandatory since it affects us all and future generations.

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Curmudgeon 2012/04/18 00:31:18

Yes

It's almost a de facto law up here, as we pay for two separate wheeled trash bins in property taxes. One is blue for recycling, and one is for garbage, so if you don't want to recycle the city does it for you.

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peacelovesmiles 2012/04/18 00:29:17

Yes

For our family, recycling is almost second-nature; it isn't that big if a deal. If you aren't environmentally conscious think of this: it's cheaper.

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Joann 2012/04/17 23:59:31

No

i meant yes....god damn it....

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Freedom4 2012/04/17 23:36:09

No

+8
I recycle and fully support anyone willing to do so. I encourage anyone to do so. I do not however support mandates of any kind really. The last thing we need are vastly expensive trash nazis digging through our trash.

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COCO to Freedom4 2012/04/18 04:27:38

+1
Very well said.

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Zammo 2012/04/17 23:31:28

Yes

I've lived places where it already is.It was no big deal. The city provided the garbage container and the recycling container. You put bottles,cans, & paper in one container and garbage in the other. If you didn't follow the ordinance they stopped providing service and it was up to you to dispose of your trash/garbage. Good luck with that in a city.

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FordCrews 2012/04/17 23:15:54

No

+2
More and more stuff is recycled every day, to give up freedom that we will never get back, for a temporary problem is insane. The problem this planet has is overpopulation in developing nations, not the United States.

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EdVenture 2012/04/17 23:13:22

Yes

It may encourage lese waste and better alternatives

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kennypart1 2012/04/17 23:12:09

No

+1
just like health insurance, sholud not have forced down our throats. with finite resources, we should all recycle what we can and quit being greedy little monsters

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De-Dee 2012/04/17 23:02:47

No

+1
I would have yes before I learned that most of the items we "recycle" just get sent over to developing countries.

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Rowena Ravenclaw 2012/04/17 23:02:14

Yes

+1
YES.

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Drachen 2012/04/17 22:43:45

No

+4
Nah, this isn't a free country or anything...

Sorry I don't want to be an eco-communist.

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AttilaTheHun 2012/04/17 22:40:07

No

There's so much junk science out there. No reason to arbitrarily code this into law. Sorta like mandating that we burn ethanol in our cars. The net effect of that is the price of corn and food stuffs in general has gone up tremendously and there's no net energy improvement from using ethanol. This is another example of junk science. Don't make it into law. (I won't even get into tenth amendment issues about whether this is even Constitutional for the federal government to do - I'm assuming that it would have to be the fed.)

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Chamii 2012/04/17 22:32:45

Yes

+2
In Japan they return electronics to the manufacturer when are done and have tons of recycling. The least we could do is recycle :/ it is so easy

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sockpuppet 2012/04/17 22:28:03

No

I don't like they way they try to bully us into recycling, here in my town. They even charge everyone a monthly fee, whether you do it, or not. If they would modify their approach, I'd very likely join the game.

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MR. 2012/04/17 22:13:09

No

+1
I RIDE MY BYCYCLE ONCE A DAY, THAT'S ENOUGH!

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RogerCoppock 2012/04/17 22:11:38 (edited)

Yes

+2
Products should also be designed with their eventual recycling in mind.

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Karl 2012/04/17 22:07:03

Yes

+2
IF it is easily accessible. For people that live a ways outside towns and have to haul their own trash, that would be rather unreasonable.

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k fleming 2012/04/17 21:55:54

No

No! Absolutely not!
It should be made more accessible sure, but not mandatory.
I recycle some, but its way out of my way to do it.
To you "yes" voters, not everyone lives in a municipality that picks up your recyclables for you!
Recycling should be encouraged through incentives, not force.

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George ... to k fleming 2012/04/17 22:15:51

I was reading the question with the impression that it was asking whether recycling should be mandatory by states/counties to offer.

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k fleming to George ... 2012/04/18 17:53:52

We have enought debt trouble as it is. If the case can be made that it will be cost neutral, then I'm all for it. But a quick check on google, says otherwise. And some recycling is more beneficial than others. So that should be a serious consideration as well.

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