Is it true that recycling wastes more energy to do so?

Question

My teacher told me this after watching a documentary on cable, but I don't know if this is true myself, nor do I know what show he was watching.

Answer 1

What is true is that "reduce" and "re-use" is much more efficient than re-cycling.  Using both sides of a piece of paper can halve your use.  And cleansing and re-using, for example a bottle (as milk bottles used to be), is much more energy efficient than re-cycling it.

Some drinks suppliers make a lot of noise about the fact that their bottles are all re-cycleable.  However, a friend of mine, who runs a pub, says that a few years ago about 90% of their bottles were collected by the supplier as they delivered the new stock and re-used.  Now most of them have to go for re-cycling.  Lorries arrive full and leave empty, a separate journey has to be made to dispose of the bottles, and it takes much more energy to melt and re-use the glass than it would do to wash it.

So, don't always assume (particularly when someone is trying to sell you something) that re-cycling is the best solution.

Reduce, re-use and, if that fails, recycle!

Answer 2

While I agree with the fact that we must preserve resources it is also true that to recycle a product may use more energy than making a product from new. Some recycled items have to be cleaned, dismantled separated from other materials and reduced to a usable state before it can be used to produce another product. Take for example a "tin can". It is generally made up from tin, steel and aluminium - all three have to be separated to be of any use. So basically all forms of recycling conserve resources but some recycling comes at a price. Hope this helps a little.

Answer 3

With wastes that contain toxic substances, like electronic equipment, it is well worth the extra energy to keep toxins out of the ground water.

Also, "precycling" is usually more energy efficient then recycyling, like buying fresh local produce from the farmer's market and carrying your own bag saves on transportation costs and packaging.

Answer 4

It makes a great deal of sense to recycle some things, like aluminum. Smelting aluminum (which breaks down bauxite ore to get pure aluminum) requires a lot of energy, as aluminum has a high melting point. But making it soft enough to mold into new shapes is much less energy intensive. Cardboard is one of those things that is good to reuse. Cardboard boxes can be reused many times and have a lifespan of several years. But to recycle them is nearly pointless, as they are made out of very degraded paper to begin with. (Each time paper is recycled, it degrades, unless you do something like add cotton or linen to it.)

Answer 5

you teacher is stupid

Answer 6

If your teacher told you that then he is not much of a teacher! Recycling is perhaps the single most effective way we have to save resources and doing so intern will save on energy! Please help keep our world a better place for our children! Reduce,Reuse and Recycle!

Answer 7

I agree with Dr. Dave.