Today is Earth Day. On this day we honor and celebrate our remarkable planet.
Even though our collective actions have damaged our planet, Mother Earth is resilient and self correcting. Through years and years of abusive treatment and neglect, our planet survives and continues to nourish us.
But we must improve our relationship with the planet on which we sail through space. We can no longer put off until tomorrow our responsibility to future generations.
Earth Day is a reminder of the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability, encouraging us to come together and act for a healthier planet and brighter future.
This year’s theme is “Planet vs Plastics.” Through the last year we have learned how plastics have harmed us and our planet. We even have microplastics in our bloodstream. All we need do is look around us and see the effects of our dependence on this manmade product. It is truly everywhere. We continue to search for ways to recycle and reuse this product. Plastic has become ubiquitous in our society: bread bags, milk jugs, coolers, glasses, toys, combs, syringes, tubing. . . The list is endless.
As a society, we have found ways to reuse and recycle so many of the items that we have manufactured to make our life better. We no longer ride horses to and from Kroger; we use automobiles. (Even when we rode horses, we recycled the byproduct and used it for fertilizer.)
And we have found a way to recycle the automobile. Through our innovation, it is said that just about 80% of a vehicle (by weight) is recycled and the remaining 20% that can’t be recycled is termed “auto shredder residue (ASR),” which includes ferrous and nonferrous metal pieces, dirt, glass, fabric, paper, wood, rubber, and plastic. (All of this is referred to as “fluff.” It catches fire sometimes.) That recycling number is an efficient percentage. The industry indicates that 86% of the auto can be recycled or reclaimed. We can and should celebrate our successes. But we must also acknowledge our failures.
Two things can be true at the same time.
This is a picture of River Metals Recycling located in Newport. This picture demonstrates our failure to recycle in an environmentally sensitive way. Particulate matter and gaseous fumes floated over the west side of Newport.
Even the Federal EPA recognizes that the majority of these open top hammer mill shredders, which is what is used at River Metals Recycling, exceed the EPA’s allowable air pollution in the Clean Air Act.
No one can argue with the idea of recycling metals; but recycling efforts must not create more pollution just to “make a buck”. There are better, more neighbor friendly ways that have been put in place by other metal recyclers like Northern Metals in Wisconsin.
There is no amount of free tree saplings, free hotdogs, free drinks, and donations to a local social work agency on Earth Day that will mitigate the damage done to the residents of the surrounding community. This is NOT the way to celebrate Earth Day.
So, what would, could, should you do to help heal our earth?
• How about volunteering to pick up and properly dispose of trash?
• How about volunteering in the River Sweep and cleaning up our riverbank with The Wave Foundation?
• How about planting a tree in your neighborhood with the Westside Citizens Coalition and ReNewport and the East Row Garden Club?
• How about participating in the next railroad track cleanup?
• How about volunteering at the Cincinnati Recycle and Reuse Hub?
• How about committing to recycle all the waste that you can?
• How about letting your voice be heard and insisting on clean air, clean water and clean soil.
Ken Rechtin is a Newport City Commissioner. The views and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views or opinions of the City of Newport or of this news source, its writers, or editors. He can be reached on his cell at 859-250-2263 or via email at kennethrechtin@gmail.com.