Call me a pessimist, but from what I see, every recycling do-gooder who makes sure the right trash lands in the right-colored bin is outnumbered by the people who are too lazy to even aim for a trash can.
Sure, everyone gets those good feels when they loft a Kobe-like shot across the room into the recycling bin and look around to make sure everyone saw you hit that sweet swishy swoosh.
But most people aren’t that good at basketball, and also don’t get that sunshine feeling knowing they just sort of kind of maybe helped save the planet.
While recycling is great, it’s not going to save the world. It just won’t.
Some people like to think recycling is this Superman-like system of saving the planet that should be unquestionable.
But in truth, like Superman, the theory that recycling will save this planet is outdated and lacking any real depth (Batman is what’s in right now anyway.)
That’s a serious problem for the recycling movement. People are lazy, forgetful and at times thoughtless.
I’d love to say that every time I print out an article for edits, it gets recycled later in the day. But I am human, and I can’t be a student journalist, regular student, couch potato, video gamer, arts and crafts extraordinaire and a part-time Captain Planet 24/7.
I’ve barely got time as is. I tip my cap to my fellow students who I know make recycling their mission. You carry our weight, and we should all be thankful. But when it comes down to it, it is just a losing battle.
Maybe it’s wrong of me to be so half-assed with my planet saving attempts, but I just don’t see the point of going the extra mile for recycling.
People like to think they’re doing some grand green act when they toss a bottle into a bin, but in reality, that contribution is minimal in the longterm.
Maybe it goes back to that immortality complex we humans have, this feeling of there’s no way this planet could ever perish, so we do what we can to prevent the inevitable.
But in the end, all of the plastic bottles, aluminum cans, sheets of paper or batteries recycled in our lifetime won’t change the outcome.
I guess that’s a dark thing to say, but planets aren’t sustainable. Maybe for a time, but look at Mars. Doesn’t look good, right? Take solace in the fact that we’ll all be dead before it ever comes to that.
I advocate for recycling half-heartedly because of this. Because of my tree-planting, garden-digging, earth-saving friend’s sighs and scoldings when I forget to recycle my beverages, I support their cause, all the while knowing that it’s a losing battle.
Recycling is good, everyone should do it. But I just can’t get on this train of “Recycling will save the planet,” because in my mind, it won’t. Recycling isn’t sexy. Throwing your trash out of a moving car isn’t sexy either. But you tell me: which is easier?
Share this post
Doing something is better than nothing. I
Comments are closed.