Question: Some people claim that not enough of the waste from homes is recycled. They say that the only way to increase recycling is for governments to make it a legal requirement. To what extent do you think laws are needed to make people recycle more of their waste?
Band 8+ Sample Answer:
(Intro) Currently, the issue of whether governments should pass a new law to increase domestic recycling rates is the subject of much debate. From my perspective, while legislative acts can be an effective measure in the short term, investing in new technology would also be worth considering.
(Body 1) Many experts argue that imposing a new law that requires citizens to recycle is a very effective way to increase the amount of household waste that is recycled. Therefore if people failed to comply with the legislation, they would be fined severely and this would surely act as a deterrent against ignoring public recycling campaigns. A clear example of this is Korea, where households can be fined up to $300 dollars if they don’t separate their waste for recycling. Partly as a result of this policy, Seoul and Busan are now two of the cleanest and greenest cities in Asia.
(Body 2) On the other hand, governments can and should take advantage of advancements in technology, which can help to improve recycling rates. One of the big challenges when encouraging people to recycle is the laborious and time-consuming nature of sorting their rubbish into the various categories for collection. However in Finland robots are used to carry out a lot the heavy-duty sorting at recycling plants. Therefore a higher percentage of domestic waste can be recycled without requiring people to separate it themselves, which is a win win for governments, individuals and the environment. Inevitably this kind of technology is expensive to develop and introduce, but the long-term benefits clearly outweigh these initial costs.
(Conclusion) In conclusion, while I agree with the enactment of a new law to force people to recycle in order to boost the level of household waste being recycled, investing more in new technology may negate the need for this altogether. Therefore a two-pronged attack is needed to deal with this very serious issue, and create a cleaner environment for everybody. (318 Words).
Words: Nick Kemp, former IELTS examiner.
Images: Imordaf / Pixabay.