Recycle why is it that?

Question

why is it that you can get paid for turning in pop cans, but you do not get paid for doing the right thing by recycling, paper, plastic, glass, and all other things that we are supposed to recycle. We do it cause it helps the enviroment but we do it more with cans for the money. when we recycle other things we are putting money in to someone elses pocket shouldn't we get a part of that too

Answer 1

As the first answerer said, the profit margins for other items is virtually nothing once you have considered the collection and wage costs.

The public think the councils rip them off but if they could see the actual figures they would realise that it is a very efficient service that occurs all over their area every day and to every property. That is a service no one else supplies in the public sector and has enough issues with idiots putting the wrong bin out, putting out the wrong materials, or just not putting it out and expecting the collectors to come onto their property and give a personal service.

Answer 2

I think it's bull we have to pay to have someone come out to the house and pick up the recycled bins? They get paid twice selling the recycled and the pick up. Not to mention if you don't separate it to their standards they won't even take it. Still have to pay for them to take it even if they don't take anything

Answer 3

the tab on a soda can uses more aluminum then the whole can uses.

Answer 4

I think people should be happy just helping the enviorment. If we got paid for everything we recycled, they would have to stop the recycling process because they would be giving all of their money away. I think they picked the thing people would be most willing to save, pop cans, and rewarded everyone for recycling them. Its just to encourage recycling or no one would do it at all.

Answer 5

Recycling is something we do to keep stuff out of land fill, not because it is financially worth while.

Paper is my favourite subject on recycling;

1/ Trees are farmed for paper, laws in Canada and Scandinavia (where 90% or our pulp in the UK comes from) make the tree farmers plant 4 trees for every 1 they cut down - so recycling does not save trees.

2/ Making pulp from old paper used more chemicals and energy than new pulp, so its not good for the environment.

But we have to do something with the old paper,  sticking it land fill is not an option - that's why we recycle :o)

Forget the money, think of your great grand children's world . .

Answer 6

It's basically because aluminum requires such a huge amount of energy to create that it has a higher value than the other stuff. Because the other recyclables have such a low value the profit margins are already razor thin. If they had pay for the raw materials as well they probably wouldn't even bother.