Is recycling cost-effective?

Question

As in - which costs more - creating products from recycling, or making them afresh (eg glass from sand, mined metals, paper from timber)?

I can imagine that recycling metals is cheaper than mining, but i find it hard to believe that it's cheaper to recycle glass and paper than it is to dig up some sand or cut down a few trees.

We have to recycle anyway, to avoid drowning in our own filth as the landfill sites fill up. But is this the only reason, or is there are more short-term economic reason as well?

Answer 1

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The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard

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Answer 2

no

Answer 3

That is a matter of prices. If you set the price on human work high, you will find most recycling not cost effective.

Some of the recycling is done by some use of energy and other recourses, in a way that is not smart. Some of it is creating pollution and a loss of energy.

Answer 4

it must be cost effective. there are places in this country that take all the garbage from landfills and recycle it. paper plastic metals glass etc.....i doubt they'd go through all that if they weren't making more than they were spending. and i'd rather have recycling then cutting down trees. trees we need to offset the co2 in the air so i say recycle and plant more trees.

note: it seems that all new energy tech is more cost effective. solar panels reduce the price of electricity. hybrids give you an insane amt of mpg, thereby saving you money. etc etc etc....

Answer 5

In some cases No. It is cheaper to grow trees for paper than re-cycle ALL kinds of paper. When you take into account all the chemicals involved with re-cycling it, it's a no go.

Answer 6

take paper for example

toilet paper

it is only used once (just as well really)

but it can be made from all sorts of paper, as opposed to cutting down a tree to make it

Paper can also be used to make plant pots, no not big post, little post to plant seeds in that you get from mail order companies, you plant the whole pot as it will "dissolve"

Answer 7

It is cost-effective but people waste so much stuff now and say "oh i'll just put it in the recycling it doesnt matter", they use reclyling as an excuse for wasting stuff, but recycling (as in when you put it in the recycling box outside) uses up alot of energy. Home recycling is better, like when you use bottle over and over again instead of buying new ones, and not using paper when you really dont need it, and using cardboard boxes again. Home recycling is more cost effective.

Answer 8

It is for me, but everyone should check for themselves.

Answer 9

yes recycling is cost effective

Answer 10

If you take into account the cost of disposing off waste and the environmental damage cause by making new.

Recycling is very cost effective.

If you compare just the cost of making new vs recycling ignoring the hidden cost that the manufacturers do not have to pay.

then prob. not.   But this should change to reflect the real costs in time.

Of course reducing the amount consumed would be far more effective ( less packaging and goods made to last longer and  consuming less as we all have stuff we dont need or use).

I personally think we are doing too little to late. 25 -30 years ago we should of been at this early stage.

Most things we consume use oil, eg ink on packaging, glass, clothes, plastic. around 90% of everything we buy has / or has had oil used to make it. When we run out of crude oil we will have to use alternatives e.g palm oil / rape seed oil Etc.. Needing huge areas of agricultural land.  This will and has already started to increase the cost of food crops.  This is another hidden cost for not recycling.

Answer 11

it's cost effective to recycle metals and some plastic but glass and most plastic is more expensive. the problem with recycled stuff is the inferior quality you end up with versus virgin material. molecular structure is changed during recycling.

Answer 12

Think it depends on what exactly you are taliking about.  Remember a lot of the reason for having plastic bottles in the first place was that it was cheaper & faster than using glass ones.

And don't worry about landfill sites filling up and there being no more room.  As soon as the current space is filled THEY WILL JUST ALLOCATE MORE LAND TO THIS USEAGE.

Answer 13

I have often wondered that myself. Also the time it takes in our area for the men to sort out and empty various bins and bags the engines of the lorries are running. I would have thought that in it self would cause pollution. Think of the price of those vehicles etc., recycling is a good idea but I don`t think its been thought out properly.