Recycling is an essential process in today’s day and age, and whether private citizens or the government and society as a whole should take on the initiative remains a large debate. I believe that it is the primary responsibility of the government bodies and the society to take action towards recycling.
A large number of individuals today are aware of the benefits of recycling for the public as well as the environment, and make efforts to recycle the best as they can with the resources they have. However, such efforts are difficult to replicate and track for the wider society. Additionally, people who are new to recycling practices might not be able to follow it consistently due to lack of habit. If there is an absence of proper processes and knowledge about recycling, it becomes an even more difficult task to achieve on an individual level.
It should be the duty of the government and society at large to ensure that recycling becomes a common practice in every household. They should lay the foundation of recycling and create awareness about its benefits, preferably from a young age. Transforming the narrative from recycling being yet another chore to an important contributor to society will also help tremendously. For example, countries like Germany have strict recycling norms that children learn from the beginning and slowly start considering as a personal responsibility rather than an additional task. Government schemes providing rewards and benefits to people who consistently and correctly recycle would also create incentives for people to take the practice seriously. Having separate labelled trashcans in public places, proper collection and disposal mechanisms and well-informed campaigns will also help drive this initiative.
In conclusion, recycling remains one of the most important practices that the society can follow to ensure cleanliness and proper waste disposal. I firmly believe that is the responsibility of those in power to make it the norm rather than the exception.