BBC on the spot

(The following ultra short and ultra quick essay was written by BBC when he came to the conclusion of the practice ACT, and discovered that he had to write an essay on, of all things, recycling. Cue laughter. This is not exactly BBC's preferred topic. The result is shown below.)

I don't believe that recycling should be mandatory in all cases because it is nigh impossible for some areas of this country.

Typically, recycled objects are considered trash, but it is generally acknowledged that the citizen is allowed to dispose of this refuse in a manner befitting it. Indeed, when an item is considered trash, it is somehow destroyed, and generally without the allowance of a future use beyond eventual incineration.

This does not mean that recycling has no benefits. On the contrary, there are items that could eventually be in short supply - paper, for example - that should be recycled when the citizen need not go to extreme lengths to do so. If the nearest recycling center were fifty miles away, and the citizen in question had no means of transportation, then it would be an infringement upon the citizen's rights granted by common sense. A citizen should not be required to make a day trip to accomplish an objective that, by itself, would only have a small impact on the growing problem of paper shortages. If, on the other hand, many more citizens could be persuaded to recycle more things, more often, then a law requiring recycling might become feasible. For now, though, with the deficit of recycling centers in many areas, it would be impractical to pass such a law.

How, then, would we solve this problem? The solution: greater usage of recycling trucks. In my area, we have no recycling vehicle, only the trash truck. It is almost certain to me that this vehicle takes our waste items to a landfill or similar place, where they will sit until they degrade. In the case of plastic, this could take many years. If it were not for our fire department holding a recycling drive each month, it would be virtually impossible for my family to recycle, and it would be at great personal expense if we did.

Recycling, as it is now, is like a sand pile trying to hold back a ten-foot wave. Currently, only a small percentage of the population of this great country recycles. This lack of participation, along with its inconvenience, is why I oppose a law requiring recycling of all citizens. For major recycling areas, this is what I have to say: why not?

(Oh yeah: this took me about 15 minutes to write. I only had 25 anyway.)