Doesnt recycling cause more pollution by needing 3 trucks 2 pick up 3 different trash cans, burning 2 recycle?

Question

trash = 1 truck

glass = 1 truck

plastic = 1 truck

3 trucks polluting the planet, then recycling plants using machines to separate different glass & plastics, wasting water to wash them...which gets dirty and has to be disposed of; then pollution when the glass & plastics have to melted in order to recycle.

Answer 1

Nope.

You're saying it requires an extra truck to pick up and transport the recyclable materials.  But if they weren't using recyclable materials, the raw materials would also need vehicles to transport them around.  Plus they would require the energy to produce the raw materials to begin with.

There is some question as to whether some materials are worth recycling, but the trucks and transportation are not the reason.  It has more to do with the energy required to produce new products out of recycled materials, and the efficiency of the process.

Answer 2

I would ask a different question. How do we stop buying so much packaging to fill these waste disposal trucks?

In our house we use safe products rather than some of the nasty chemical filled products that are available in supermarkets.

This is, of course, safer for our family and the products are ecologically friendly. Therefore we are not contaminating the soil/drains/water supplies with phosphates, etc.

All the packaging is also recyclable.

The products that we buy are highly concentrated so there is less energy used in manufacture, it takes far longer to empty the bottle/container so there is less waste to collect, less energy is used in carting away our waste, less energy is used in the recycling of the packaging.

Not only that, but using these products also gives us our main source of income.

Look at http://www.earnmoney.fourpointconsultant... to get more information

Answer 3

Where do you live?  Our recyclables all go into ONE HUGE GARBAGE CONTAINER on wheels...(paper/glass/plastic/cans) and then compost and organics (meat/bones/food/diapers, etc.) is another container which goes out every week.  Other trash which doesn't fall into that goes out every other week.

Even when they were separate, the same truck picked up all the recyclables....they would just go into one compartment or another.

So that is two trucks, one goes out twice a month, the other weekly.  Not a big deal really when you consider all the toxic landfills poisoning the planet from 50 years of unsorted and piling up trash, more than that in the US where most places are yet to even HEAR the word RECYCLE.

Answer 4

yes.recycling uses more resources than it saves.it is a scam.

Answer 5

That is a really good point. It does require more energy to pickup and sort recycling, but the benefit of diverting so many tons of materials from landfills or incinerators outweighs the cost. In the long term, we need to develop even more ways to re-use and recycle materials than we currently have. Just think about how many millions of tons of post-consumer materials go into landfills every year and you can imagine why it is worth while to give plastic/glass/aluminum and many other materials a second life. Developing more efficient waste collection and diversion should be a huge priority on the regional level. Consider this: sometimes the distance from your house to the landfill where the garbage eventually ends up is even farther than than the distance from your house to the various recycling plants. There are so many factors to consider on this issue. One thing is certain, if everyone did all they can to cut out excessive and wasteful packaging, and follow their cities guidelines for disposal they would be making positive impact. Also, don't be afraid to address the waste management company with questions.

Answer 6

Not necessarily. Where I live we have a drop off place at the grocery store. You don't even have to separate...you just put it in the bins. Then one truck comes and picks it all up. I can see your point though about having more than one truck picking up different items.

Answer 7

eh, i think its worth it, rather than trashing the earth in ways that wont be cleaned.

i remember hearing that plastic bags (like those from stop and shop) take 1000 years to decompose into the earth.  

how many bags have you seen? alot.  

sure, the trucks may not be making things better, but its alot better than the wasted paper that could be reused, broken glass that trashes the earth and hurts others, and the plastic that remains on the eath longer than we do.

and hey, maybe one day, all trucks or cars will be electric or hybrid...

Answer 8

No.   Your point is valid from the perspective of the WASTE.  Recycling requires a more complex (and thus more energy intensive and more costly) trash collection method than does just hauling stuff to the landfill.

But this is not necessarily true from the perspective of the RECYCLED MATERIALS.  If glass (or aluminum or whatever) is not recycled, then a manufacturer will still need to purchase raw glass or aluminum or whatever.  I'm not certain what the energy intensity of virgin glass is.  I'm not sure where it comes from or what's involved in collecting and refining it.  But it is very likely that the energy involved in collecting and washing used glass is the same or less than the energy involved in creating new glass.  And a similar arguement could be made for other recyclables - steel, copper, plastics, etc.