To what extent do you agree or disagree that goverenment should make recycling a legal requirement? Over the past decades, waste has become a serious issue in our society as it severely affects environmental stability , which will in turn hinder the economic development. As a result, some people argue that government should make recycling a legal requirement. However, I do not agree with this idea as legalizing recycling may cause many inconveniences and government should take the measures of education instead of law to promote recycling.

First, recycling legislation can cause many inconveniences. For example, there are no recycling centers in some places, which makes people find it impossible to recycle waste even if they want to. For many people, traveling 30 miles to recycle waste is insane and inconvenient. What’s more, it would cost a lot of money to build new recycling centers. Even if enough recycling centers were built, without proper recycling education, people may do not know how to classify the wastes and recycle properly. Improper recycling may cause more harm to our environment and the well-being of residents living near the recycling centers. Taking all these factors into account, I believe the disadvantages of recycling legislation would outweigh the benefits.

Second, government should undertake an education campaign instead of punitive laws to motivate people to recycle. For example, government can make recycling education mandatory in schools as children are more likely to form good new habits than adults. As a result, when they group up, they may recycle voluntarily without any legal enforcement. Besides, it is urgent that people be taught how to identify different kinds of waste and recycle properly. As a result, people may change their behaviors gradually and would like to recycle on their own will, which renders recycling legislation unnecessary.