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Part IV Ben Yost Economics Mr. Larsen December 11th, 2013

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Intro In 1989 San Francisco began its journey toward creating a better future. It began with a plan to increase the amount of recycling in their city. San Francisco's zero waste journey began with enactment of a state law in 1989, the Integrated Waste Management Act. The law required cities and counties to divert 25 percent of municipal solid waste by 1995 and 50 percent by 2000. Over the last two decades, San Francisco built upon this requirement by passing several successive ordinances that targeted additional areas of the waste stream (Gokaldas, par 4). Over the years the city of San Francisco has abided by these laws and continued to improve toward their goal of no waste. These laws have encouraged other cities around the nation to take action in reducing waste. Despite many cities agreeing with San Franciscos plan, opponents may believe that programs in place are adequate. Recycled products may require treatment first to ensure safe usability, despite research favoring new waste management programs there is also evidence that the programs are working effectively and do not need to be changed. It could cost a lot of money to create these new programs along with educating the public on how to properly recycle. Although landfills are filling up, they have been an adequate way to dispose of waste for many years. There are already many recycling programs in place at high schools and businesses across the country trying to help with the problem. This brings out the heart of the debate. Should Plymouth improve the current waste management program because it will prevent a more serious and urgent waste management problem in the future and because it will decrease the amount of money individuals will have to pay for garbage services or should Plymouth leave their waste management program as is

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because it is an individuals choice to decide if they want to recycle and because it would cost a lot of money and resources to implement a new program along with the training of new workers?

Background A growing issue is the Epidemic of the diminishing amount of room in landfills. Over many years waste has been thrown into landfills, not giving it a second thought. This has grown to be a problem with landfills filling up and no other place to put our unwanted trash. With an issue as serious as running out of room in landfills, there are many different perspectives on the issue. Many favor the idea of improved waste management but some still favor the current system. Generally liberals view recycling as a major issue that needs to be dealt with, therefor they may favor a bill to improve waste management. Republicans may not take interest in such an issue, although this may affect many republicans that enjoy hunting or fishing because it can alter the environment and kill animals. Pollutants, such as toxic metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, industrial chemicals, and pesticides, can cause a wide range of adverse biological effects in organisms, including direct chemical toxicity, genetic damage, physiological abnormalities, compromised immune system, biochemical alterations, and behavioral changes (Pollution paragraph 1). Poor waste management affects everything around us from the drinking water to the air we breathe. Toxic contaminants and excessive levels of nutrients are released into coastal waters directly or via long-range atmospheric and oceanic pathways (Pollution paragraph 1). There is an organization called CCMA monitoring all these different types of pollution through waste. One of the primary ways CCMA addresses pollution is through the National Status and Trends

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Program, through which scientists conduct long-term monitoring of toxic chemicals and environmental conditions at more than 350 sites along U.S. coasts (Pollution paragraph 2). Many environmental organizations are encouraging large corporations to take part in being more mindful of the waste they produce in order to protect the environment and rely less on landfills to be the home for all of the waste produced. All of the information being published about waste management has encouraged researchers to examine the costs and benefits of waste management through both a sociological and economic views.

Social Cost/Benefit Analysis Through the structural functional theory we can analyze why recycling isnt utilized in every household. Structural functional theory is when there is a dysfunction in one or more of the social institutions. The social institution affected by waste management is the family institution, education institution, and government institution. Although at home and at school we are taught to recycle but we do not always understand why. Often times our educational institution doesnt teach its students how to recycle or the importance of it. Encouraging recycling at home helps the community benefit because it teaches our children the benefits of recycling. The family institution also plays an impactful role because of large amounts of family units that do not participate in proper waste management. Finally the government is faced with the biggest problem of all, trying to figure out how to find a solution for waste management and take control of a rising issue. Over hundreds of years waste management hasnt been a seen as a problem, within the last twenty years the amount of garbage pilling up in landfills has brought our attention to the fact that we are running out of space to put all our waste. We live in a culture that doesnt stress

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recycling. Americans have nobody to blame but ourselves, as the greatest country in the world we should set a good example for other countries. Americans are in no position to lecture anyone, but we are in a position to know better. We are in a position to set a different example of growth. We are in a position to use our resources and know-how to invent the renewable, clean power sources and energy efficiency systems that can make growth greener (Friedman, pg. 55). It is clear that it is a civil right to not only vote and be involved in our community but to recycle and set a good example to future generations. There are no strict laws or guidelines to follow for recycling, now is the time to create these laws and see not only our environment improve but our economy as well. Recycling can be used in many ways. Such as melting down glass and aluminum bottles to be made again, requiring fewer new resources needed to minimize costs. Reusing paper to make new paper and cardboard that will help stopping deforestation. Recycling benefits our country in many more ways than just slowing down the amount of garbage being dumped in landfills and making our environment better. The social norm is no longer sufficient and Americans as a whole need to make a change but starting in Plymouth will help. Different cultural groups have many different customs but all can participate in recycling. There is not a single member of a community that cant help out. Clearly, there is a steady rise in local communities and governments that desire to monitor and protect their ground water resources (Bergman, par 3).

Economic Cost/Benefit Analysis Economics is about far more than dollars and cents but examines the costs and benefits of how to deal with scarce resources. Economics is the study of the choices people make in an effort to

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satisfy their wants and needs (Larsen, unit 3). The level of scarcity of waste management has been increasing due to the rapidly filling landfills. The demand for waste management has risen because of the uncertainty for future waste procuration methods. By analyzing the long term effects of waste management through an economic view which helps show costs and benefits of waste management. The scarcity levels for waste management laws are increasing because landfills are filling up and pollution levels are rising. Each year Americans generate millions of tons of waste in homes and communities nationwide (Reducing Waste, Par. 1). The demand to find a solution for waste management is growing. Clearly, there is a steady rise in local communities and governments that desire to monitor and protect their ground water resources (Bergman, par 5). As the need for more landfills increases the need for a way of reusing all discarded resources grows but until then recycling is the answer to waste management. Implementing a bill that involves waste management laws would be a big help in increasing recycling efforts. In 2011, Americans generated about 250 million tons of trash and recycled and composted almost 87 million tons of this material, equivalent to a 34.7 percent recycling rate (Municipal Solid Waste, par 2). The statistics show from a San Francisco study shows that by implementing bills and laws to enforce recycling, the amount we recycling can be improved dramatically. San Francisco has established itself as a global leader in waste management by diverting 77% of its waste away from landfills and incinerators (Gokaldas, par 3). Many European countries also demonstrate higher levels of recycling. Both Europe and Japan have demonstrated that it is possible to live a middle-class lifestyle with much less consumption (Friedman, pg. 55). This is a clear indication that recycling can be brought to a higher standard to decrease the amount of waste by living a more middle-class waste free lifestyle. This does not

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mean living a more middle-class lifestyle but creating a new era of reducing our waste and living a cleaner life. Because we are going to make planet earth so hot, and strip it so bare of resources that nobody, including us, will be able to live like Americans one day (Friedman, pg. 55). Although there is no easy way to stop filling up the landfills, citizens themselves need to make more of an effort to increase and devote time to recycling. Many people believe this is a inconvenience to them taking time out of their day to ensure that we can recycle everything possible but at this pace everyone will be living in landfills in the near future. Each year, we Americans generate millions of tons of waste in our homes and communities. (Reducing Waste, Par. 1). Some smaller towns have started a reward system to ensure that their community is recycling as much as possible. For example the community recycling service goes to a randomly selected house and goes through their garbage, if the garbage contains no recyclable materials, that house hold is awarded 100 dollars as a prize. This small prize is a way of compensating the household for the opportunity cost of taking the time to recycle. In the town of Plymouth(being mostly middle and upper-class), many people think by the logic time is money so being compensated for their time is a good way to enforce recycling laws and reward those who abide by these laws. Although many citizens might never be chosen for the random garbage survey, many would improve their recycling habits in hopes of being randomly selected. This job of going through garbage looking for recycling is a not a highly skilled job and would only require a short time of minimum wage work. Total costs for this recycling incentive plan would be only around 6000 dollars annually, a small price to pay for increased recycling. Increasing recycling would also bring down the amount we spent on garbage, another incentive to recycle.

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Many of the waste materials generated from housing construction can be reused, refurbished, or recycled into usable products (Reducing Waste, Par. 6). Many builders waste excess materials when building homes, large garbage bins are put on site and all waste gets thrown into them, having a bin allotted for recycling should also be used to save materials that can be used again. This is also a problem when tearing down homes and renovating homes, a lot like the construction of homes there are many recyclable resources thrown away, large recycling bins should be put on site. An estimated 170 million tons of building construction, renovation, and demolition-derived wastes (commonly referred to as construction and demolition (C&D) materials) were generated in 2003. (Reducing Waste, Par. 4). There should be a law passed to have recycling bins put on Construction, demolition and renovation sites to prevent materials being wasted.

Policy Recommendation Proposed before in the economic cost/benefit analysis, the city of Plymouth should reward a randomly selected member of the community a 100 dollar allocation based off of that they recycle anything they can. Construction, destruction, renovation companies will be allotted a recycling bin to recycle any materials possible. The city of Plymouth must make short term and long term goals for the amount of recycling in the community by working with the city recycling plant. The city has achieved its national distinction through a three-pronged approach: enacting strong waste reduction legislation, partnering with a like-minded waste management company to innovate new programs, and creating a culture of recycling and composting (Gokaldas, par 3). This will be a long process in which the city must set realistic long term goals to make sure the plan remains functional. San Francisco's zero waste journey began with enactment of a state law

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in 1989, the Integrated Waste Management Act. The law required cities and counties to divert 25 percent of municipal solid waste by 1995 and 50 percent by 2000. Over the last two decades, San Francisco built upon this requirement by passing several successive ordinances that targeted additional areas of the waste stream (Gokaldas, par 4). These requests made in this document are both realistic in addressing public recycling awareness and economic feasibility by keeping costs to a minimum. The city has made an effort in the past to improve recycling habits by distributing larger recycling bins to homes and sees a point in maintaining our community. If city of Plymouth legalizes a bill to improve waste management the manifest functions that will result will include an improvement in recycling and less waste in landfills around the state. The latent functions that could possibly result would include more money spent on waste management, although the manifest function has a far greater impact making the bill a good decision to legalize.

Bibliography Bergman, Helena. "Meeting a Global Demand." - Waste Management World. International Solid Waste Association, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. < http://www.wastemanagement-world.com/articles/print/volume-9/issue-5/features/meeting-a-globaldemand.html>. Friedman, Thomas L. Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution-- and How It Can Renew America. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008. Print. Gokaldas, Virali. "Zero Waste by 2020 in San Francisco: On the Road to Zero Waste Blog." Web log post. Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives. GAIA U.S., n.d. Web. 1 Oct.

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2013. <http://www.no-burn.org/san-francisco-zero-waste-by-2020-on-the-road-to-zero-wasteblog>. Hahn, Robert W. 1989. "Economic Prescriptions for Environmental Problems: How the Patient Followed the Doctor's Orders" Journal of Economic Perspectives, 3(2): 95-114. <http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/jep.3.2.95>. Larsen, Todd. Economics Economics: An Applied Public Policy and Social Science Analysis. Wayzata High School. Term 1, 2013. "Municipal Solid Waste." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 2 Dec. 2013. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. <http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/index.htm>. "Reducing Waste." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. <http://www.epa.gov/greenhomes/ReduceWaste.htm>. United States. National Ocean Service. : Pollution. National Ocean Service, 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2013. <http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/stressors/pollution/default.aspx>.

Work Cited Bergman, Helena. "Meeting a Global Demand." - Waste Management World. International Solid Waste Association, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. < http://www.wastemanagement-world.com/articles/print/volume-9/issue-5/features/meeting-a-globaldemand.html>. Friedman, Thomas L. Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution-- and How It Can Renew America. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008. Print. Gokaldas, Virali. "Zero Waste by 2020 in San Francisco: On the Road to Zero Waste Blog." Web log post. Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives. GAIA U.S., n.d. Web. 1 Oct.

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2013. <http://www.no-burn.org/san-francisco-zero-waste-by-2020-on-the-road-to-zero-wasteblog>. Hahn, Robert W. 1989. "Economic Prescriptions for Environmental Problems: How the Patient Followed the Doctor's Orders" Journal of Economic Perspectives, 3(2): 95-114. <http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/jep.3.2.95>. Larsen, Todd. Economics Economics: An Applied Public Policy and Social Science Analysis. Wayzata High School. Term 1, 2013. "Municipal Solid Waste." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 2 Dec. 2013. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. <http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/index.htm>. "Reducing Waste." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. <http://www.epa.gov/greenhomes/ReduceWaste.htm>. United States. National Ocean Service. : Pollution. National Ocean Service, 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2013. <http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/stressors/pollution/default.aspx>.