The environmental issues which take up a lot of media space in this day and age have become surprisingly controversial in a short space of time. Barely a day goes by without someone claiming that the entire concept of environmental friendliness and green living is simply an excuse to tax us more, make us feel guilty and keep us from enjoying ourselves. This makes it difficult to give out a message of environmental positivity, because it is all too likely that the person listening to the message will reject it and accuse you of being a zealot.
Let’s be clear about this. Recycling household waste when you are finished with it is not the action of a zealot. It is common sense. It saves you money for a start, and in more ways than the immediate. Here are some simple facts:
• When you recycle an item for future use around the house, it’s one more thing you don’t have to buy.
• When you recycle goods by separating your garbage into recyclable and non-recyclable, you drive down the cost to the taxpayer of garbage disposal.
• When you buy products made from recycled material, you are supporting an industry which is more cost-effective than creating those materials from scratch.
Now, as much as people might claim that recycling is something for an obsessive green activist, one can agree that those three facts are true, and positive arguments for recycling. Isn’t that something worth sticking up for? Whenever anyone tells you that recycling makes no difference, let those three facts be your response.