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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Consumers and businesses have an ethical obligation to do their part to reuse or recycle unwanted items. However, while some consumers and businesses do reuse or recycle e-waste, glass, metal, plastic, paper or textiles, more could be done. Even with environmentalists warning of potential chemical hazards these items produce in landfills, an estimated 85 percent of landfills are filled with unwanted waste. The recycling industry along with local government run media campaigns to raise awareness; however, as a result consumers and businesses may be experiencing information overload which may have a negative impact on consumers ' recycling efforts.
Keywords: Information overload, Recycling, E-waste, Effective communication
INTRODUCTION
Recycling is the process of collecting unwanted materials and reusing them elsewhere. In addition to donating these unwanted items to thrift shops, it also involves collecting old, broken or obsolete waste materials to reuse their natural materials or to turn them into industrial rags or stuffing. Recycling impacts our environment and the quality of our lives. As such, recycling is a controversial, yet important issue. However, a lot of people are not aware how recycling helps us sustain our environment. The more government and environmentalists continue to raise awareness to the benefits of recycling, the more people are inclined to recycle. Information on recycling is everywhere: traditional media (newspapers, television, radio) and non-traditional media (ads on the internet, social media and email inboxes). At some point, too much information has a negative impact on people's recycling efforts if they feel bombarded with so much information they cannot make a decision.
Some of the benefits of recycling include reducing waste in landfills, reducing energy consumption, decreasing pollution and reducing cost. Continuous improvements to the recycling process will have a positive impact on reducing environmental problems.
There are three categories associated with managing waste or garbage: reduce, reuse and recycle. Recycling is a modern and valuable solution to reduce the amount of raw materials needed to create new products; reuse unwanted products; and recycle existing products into new products. This paper will explore the six main kinds of materials that are recyclable: electronics, glass, metal, paper, plastic, and textiles.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION VERSUS INFORMATION OVERLOAD
Federal, state and local governments have campaigned for years on the benefits recycling have...