We have all seen the world-wide green symbol that denotes the environmentally friendly practice of recycling. It was designed by Gary Anderson in the 1960s and has been adopted by numerous companies in the waste management sphere.
However, it is a symbol scarcely ever seen in Georgia. We may wonder why the idea of reusing materials hasn’t really been reinforced in Tbilisi. Whilst in other European countries, people usually separate their trash for recycling, this practice isn’t very celebrated in Georgia. According to a report by BBC, there are “at least five types of rubbish bin in the courtyards of apartment buildings and inside people’s houses” in Germany. In Rome, “people who do not separate their rubbish can be fined up to 619 Euros if they have a recycling bin within 500 meters of their front door”. In America, the word is inevitably ingrained in Americans’ everyday language and lifestyle. It seems all over the world, people want to make the most of what they have. A lot of countries recycle not just because it conserves natural resources, but also because of all the financial incentives.
What most people don’t realize is that recycling was a common practice in historic times. It dates back as early as 400 BC. It did, however, disappear for a while during industrialization, because all of the technological innovations allowed a much easier production of goods. But it really boomed during World War II, when recycling appeared to be an advantageous method to an extra supply of materials during the shortage. Moreover, with the establishment of the environmental movement in the 1960s, several nations starting investing in reusing waste, rather than using virgin materials.
However, Georgia has been holding back from any recycling projects due to the high costs associated with it. According to the GEO-Cities Tbilisi report, “recycling of sorted materials can generate additional income, and at the same time will reduce disposal costs and prolong the landfill’s life span”. Trash is usually collected by municipal waste service companies in Georgia. The same report indicated that even though recycling in European countries has caused a decrease in the percentage of land-filled waste, in Georgia “a lack of policies and high recycling costs have prevented taking actual steps on national or municipal levels up to now”.
The issue of whether or not recycling is actually financially profitable is debatable. But the better question is whether or not it is more economical than the old-fashioned trash disposal systems. The cost of transporting the recycled items, sorting materials in single-stream recycling cans, labor costs and what not may all lead people to assume that recycling may actually be more economically challenging for a nation. But regardless of that, there are many perks to the practice. It not only saves energy and prevents pollution; it helps the materials that would otherwise be classified as “waste” to become valuable resources in the market. It is also a positive factor when it comes to businesses and organizations. Instead of having to pay disposal costs in terms of landfills, recycling their waste would actually prove to be more economical. That’s why a lot of businesses around the world are gradually “going green”.
Although there are already a few paper recycling plants in Georgia, recycling businesses are deemed unprofitable for the country. Whether or not Georgia will decide to be a more “green” nation, is something we will find out in the future. Weighing out the pros and cons is extremely beneficial upon making that decision. If successfully executed, recycling should be rewarding in all its aspects.