Recycling/ Recycled Items WHY!!??!!?

Question

So, I was watching Good Morning America today, and they had a segment on Recycled items in stores.

Everyone wants you to be green and save the earth but!

Anything Recycled is 5-10% more expensive than buying non-recycled items.. I mean are they stupid.. be green and with the economy the way it is be green and spend more money doing it?!? Do they realize why more people aren't going green? If they really cared about the earth wouldnt they make prices cheaper considering anything recycled has been bought before so they sell it to us, we use it, we give it back and they sell it for more than it cost us in the first place? Does that make sense at all? Green cars are more expensive than luxury gas guzzling SUVS but they want us to be green and drive earth friendly vehicles?Recycling companies don't just have "drop-offs" everywhere anymore, you have to buy a can for it and then pay a monthly fee to have your items picked up to save the earth?

Why is being green so expensive???

Answer 1

The cost of collecting, transporting and removing impurities from recycled items before re-use can be significant.  These pre-production costs contribute to the final consumer cost of recycled items.  This is why you currently pay more for most recycled items.  Also keep in mind that the sellers you originally buy items from are not the same businesses who collect and sell your recycling, and neither of these businesses are the same as the producer of the recycled goods, which may differ from the distributor and the end-seller of the recycled items.  Each of the above steps needs to make a profit, or the associated businesses would not remain in business.  In short, you are not giving recycling back to the original seller, in most cases.   Typically, the recycled goods seller does not simply jack up prices for no good reason.  The real question is if it is worth an extra 5-10% in cost to reduce the pressure on natural resources when obtaining products.  When you pay for recycled goods, they are often re-produced domestically; so your American money stays in American pockets.  You are actually helping the existence of the different businesses I listed above.  This creates or at least maintains American jobs.  If you buy something that is made from non-recycled materials, it has a greater chance of being imported, or the raw materials to make it were more likely imported.  Like you, I would like to see the price of recycled materials reduced.  It would be great to receive a more competitive price, reduce pressure on the environment and keep cash in domestic circles.  If recycled goods were household products rather than specialty items, the price would likely drop.  Of course, if the price would drop, they might become household items...lol.  As the demand for raw materials continues to increase globally, most recycled materials will become cheaper relative to new raw materials, making recycled goods less expensive to consumers in the long run.  You may think I am crazy, but my prediction is that land fills and dumps will someday be mined for all of the plastic and perhaps the metals buried there.  This may not occur in the next 10-20 years, but sometime during most of our lifetimes. The natural resources will become reduced and/or become very costly and it will be cheaper to sift through old garbage for certain local raw materials....

In answer to your car question, new technology (such as hybrid vehicles) have very high development costs.  These costs must be passed on to the consumer.  The technology will become cheaper as time goes by, unless replaced by another technology - fuel cell technology perhaps.  The other question is if a more fuel efficient vehicle is worth more to the public.  Is a compact fluorescent bulb worth more than a standard bulb?  Ultimately companies charge what the public is willing to pay - and they do their "homework" in this region before releasing most products to the market.  For some items, the public is smart and for others, they get taken....  You don't mind paying $1.50 for a soft drink at a fast food restaurant that costs the company a few nickels total (cup, straw, lid and liquid), but you won't pay 5 or 10% more for recycled goods?  Most recycling industries do not have anywhere near the profit margin when compared to the beverage industry.  

Ultimately you pay the amount for an item equal to what other people in your same area are willing to pay for that item, which is not always relative to what the item costs to make.  Recycled goods are reasonably priced when you consider what is necessary for their production.  If you are worried about getting ripped off by an industry or paying too much, think about what you drink and how little the ingredients cost relative to the price.  Going green takes a relatively small percentage of your money in most cases when you think about it. You pay more for the car now and save on gas later, or you pay more for the c.f. light bulb now and save on electricity later. "Green" is a new choice so we consumers scrutinize it heavily, while accepting other ridiculously high profit-making businesses that have been in existence for extended periods of time.  I do think we could pay less for recycled goods, but there are many other industries where we should pay far less than the current prices.

Answer 2

okay maybe now its expensive but when everyone goes green things well chill down, i mean i would love to go green yes money is a problem for me and my family but we get through.. also being one of the only ones in my family that cares about it i'm mostly alone and i want the world to be better because going green is saving the wildernest and when you got the stuff it saves money too.... i learned a lott by goin green.....if you want to save take the recycled trash to the dump yourself if u don't wanna pay extra i mean on your way towards it or something...don't go outta your way thats what we do here. no extra pays or  nothing i just want the world to be so much better .

bye

Answer 3

Maybe it's true that people who purchase for green, organic or recycled products want to save the Earth and do something good. But for the companies and the stores who sell these products, their objectives is to make money first, save the earth second. They are not charity or non-profit organizations. The price of merchandise is determined by the cost, plus the market supply/demand conditions.

In times when more people want to buy recycled products the price may actually goes up, until the manufacturers over produce or the store overstock the products - there are too many of the items and no body want them.

The regular comsumer products follow this rule. There is no reason why the green products or recycled products do not.

Answer 4

being "green" in reality is least expensive.  If you want to be "green" according to the capitalist machine, then buying "green" products will end up costing more, but if you truly want to go "green" then it requires eliminating a large amount of consumption (the #1 problem) and living simply- ie- grow as much of your food as possible, walk and ride bikes, learn building skills and especially survival skills- cause this !@$!@$*) about to colapse.

Answer 5

Where to start? First the reason for recycling is finite resources. Most aluminum cans are recycled, has the cost of soda gone up, yes, but because the cans aren't labeled as recycled content we just buy what we like. Glass is also often recycled, but again not usually labeled, unless it can be used as a marketing tactic. We use billions of gallons of oil for things like plastic grocery bags, recycling them and other products can reduce our use of foreign oil and help keep gas prices down. Recycling also helps slow down the amount of waste going to landfills.

Buying recyled goods will do a few things, help the supply of finite resources last longer, and slow down the need for more landfills. We are literally burying the world in garbage.

The main reason recycled goods cost more is the type of businesses that produce them. Most recycled paper products come from small start up companies. We need to increase the damand for recycled products so companies like Mead will get with the program, when a large company begins using recycled content the cost will come down.

Some states are helping the green technologies. I live in CA and I got a $10K rebate, plus a $2K federal tax credit for installing my solar panels, my out of pocket expense was $12K. I looked into it a few years ago and my cost would have been around $40K. There is a lot of economic growth in the alternate fuels industry in CA and it is helping the cost come down on many products.

You say buying a fuel efficient car costs more. I disagree, there is more to the cost of a car than the sticker price. I've owned a Pruis for 6 years, it has been the cheapest car I've ever owned. I only have to get the oil changed ever 7500 miles, unlike most cars that recommend ever 3-4000 miles. I have had no repairs needed in 6 years, when I replaced my tires the were the least expensive tire I've ever purchased and I can't calculate the amount of money I've saved getting over 45mpg for 6 years, not to mention my registration and insurance were lower than the car I traded in for it, I also don't have to pay to get my car smog certified, and I can drive in the carpool lane alone. I paid $19,200 for it new and I've seen the same thing at carmax for over $14K, talk about resale value.

The reason many recycle drop off's have disappeared is likely because of your waste managment department. They are usually privately owned companies who want to maximize profit from recyclable materials, they often lean on city officials to get rid of competition. Go to www.earth911.org to find a local recycler.

The other area that people don't seem to consider is the 1st word in the green slogan, which is REDUCE. Avoid excess packaging, buying fresh produce and meats usually has less packaging and cost less than convenience foods. Buy what you need and waste less.

The bottom line, I've become very green and I am saving a lot of money because of it. I buy as much recycled content as I can, but I only buy what I need, so I'm spending less. I am more energy efficient, so I spend less on my utility bill. I am making a big investment in my solar panels, but since I'll own my home in a few years and don't intend to move, I'll see the financial benifit for years to come.

Answer 6

being green is more expensive, but it saves the resources that won't be around if people don't recycle.

Answer 7

Because prices reflect the cost of production, marketing, etc.  Recycled goods cost more because the recycling process is labor intensive, and the products are usually manufactured in smaller quantities than their non-recycled counterparts.

"they sell it to us, we use it, we give it back and they sell it for more "

The problem is in between 'giving it back' and 'selling it for more' the item is shredded, melted, or otherwise processed and turned into a different product.  All of that adds cost.

Answer 8

Hippies god wants you to use wat he gave you

Answer 9

I don't think recycled products do cost more.  Many of the products we use and buy every day are partially "post-consumer product" like copy paper and Starbuck's cups. Re-use items in vintage and thrift stores are generally cheaper too.  I do think you have to shop wisely.  The green label is trendy and desirable right now, so there are companies making a buck on eco-chic.  Then there are some eco items (like organic clothes for example) that just cost more to produce and have lower demand driving prices up, but as they get more popular and business experience grows they are becoming cheaper.

Answer 10

I agree, it is sad that no company seems to genuinely care.

However, I am sure that there are some products which simply cost more because of more complicated or newer manufacturing techniques.

But the best way to recycle is simply to re-use, forget the eco band-wagon and just use your old stuff, go on Freecycle - one man's trash is another man's treasure, learn how to fix stuff, buy from decent charity shops (i.e. the non-animal testing ones) etc. I can't afford to buy 100% recycled this and post-consumer waste that, so this is what I do and it's far better for the planet.

Anyway, I hope my ramblings are of some use to someone out there!

Answer 11

You are spending a lot of time looking at consumables in your effort to go green.

I saw something I found ridiculous in a store...paper plates made from recycled paper. The user of paper plates does not really care though, or they would be washing plates and re-using them instead of recycling paper plates.

Another thing is those aluminum cans...they used to be glass bottles that were returned, washed, and re-used.

Let me spell it out for you: Being green is not expensive!!! it involves a 1-time investment in an item that is re-usable, and using it over and over again. Simple: pay $50 for a set of plastic plates, and quit spending $2 a week on paper plates. Boom 25 weeks later, the plates have paid for themselves, and you begin to see a profit from being green.

I paid $7 for a 64 oz plastic mug at a gas station 7 years ago. Everyone said I was nuts paying that much for that cup. I refill it daily on my way to work. That costs me 68 cents. It costs $1.50 for the largest paper cup at that same gas station, and that's just 48 ounces. There are 365 days in a year, and I saved 82 cents a day for 7 years...that really adds up!!!

The steps to being green are "reduce, re-use, recycle" in that order!!! First reduce what you use. This is often done by not buying disposable garbage, and buying stuff that lasts longer. Next is re-using, buy stuff that can be re-used, then never buy it again!!! Then and only then should you turn to the recycle part.

Being green is not expensive! Being green requires you to change your ways.

Answer 12

It's the whole "can't win for trying" saying.....