It finally looks like South Carolina, and Greenville in particular, have been making headway with recycling initiatives. Statistics indicate that if the all the waste material that is currently dumped into landfills, were separated and used instead in recycling projects, every city could in fact generate revenues rather than experience costs. A report present in the Greenville News shows that an increased effort towards recycling waste material in the form of convenient recycling programs could in fact lead to improved participation rates and environmental sustainability.

Steady Progress Towards Recycling

The state government of South Carolina have set a target to increase participation rates of recycling to 40 percent by the turn of 2020. Despite the fact that recycling rates in Greenville fell slightly from the previous year to 33 percent, there is still much to be encouraged from. The study shows that areas that were provided curbside recycling pickup facilities experienced far higher rates of recycling than earlier. Almost half of the Greenville population contributes to these recycling programs.

While some cities like Fountain Inn have discontinued their recycling programs, citing unsustainable interest as the reason, others like Greenville and Mauldin have experienced rates as high as 47 percent and 50 percent respectively. These promising figures show that cities are probably wise to continue recycling programs even when they encounter low participation rates, in the hope that rising awareness will inevitably cause them to increase.

The reason for the overall decline in South Carolina participation rates may, perhaps, be attributed to the fact that businesses within the community are not required to disclose their own recycling practices. The report from the publication also went on to state that almost 450,000 tons of recyclable material were disposed of, amounting to a total cost of $17.5 million. If these materials were recycled instead of being introduced into landfills, the state would benefit from an increased revenue of approximately $60 million.

Promotional Reusable Bags for Boosting Recycling

One of the key ways in which recycling can be combined with lifestyle is through the use of promotional reusable bags. Many of these bags solely use material that has been fully recycled. These bags provide effective alternatives to plastic or paper bags that are often used in grocery and convenient stores. Switching to promotional reusable bags, whether for shopping purposes or otherwise, will drastically encourage businesses to further invest in the idea, while remaining socially and environmentally responsible. Sturdy and practical promotional reusable bags is just one of the many ways that a community can reduce its carbon footprint, while retaining complete practicality.

Source:http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/opinion/editorials/2014/06/30/editorial-help-residents-increase-recycling/11800261/