What are the environmental costs of recycling?

Question

My local refuse collector provides three "wheelie bins" for:-

(a) Plastic bottles and paper/cardboard for sorting and export

(b) Kitchen and garden waste for composting

(c) Non recyclables for landfill

The bins are only partly/slightly filled and are collected at different times in different trucks.

Answer 1

They can be significant.  Collection practices differ; in my area, everything goes into one bin and is sorted at a depot.  Consider newsprint: the paper has to be mulched,de-inked, and reprocessed, all of this takes energy and creates waste, although not as much as preparing the paper from pulpwood.

Answer 2

See if you can find the episode of Penn & Teller: Bullsh**! on Showtime that covered recycling.  Aluminum is about the only material worth it.

Answer 3

I have heard that a lot of energy and material goes into recycling which makes it often actually reverse the effect...so much for environmental friendliness, right? Often things like plastics have to get shipped across the world to be properly recycled. I suspect that a lot of recycling programs are in place mostly because it helps politicians maintain the "I care" masquerade, as well as help ordinary people feel better about their consumerism and wasteful habits...As for the actual comparison for cost vs benefits, I think it depends on where you live, the material being recycled, and, of course, the process.

Personally I prefer the "reduce" and "reuse" R's (have you ever noticed the order of them? That should be the order of preference/execution if you ask me!). First off, cut back your waste (that means just plain buy less stuff too)! Then, do your own recycling! I make my own paper and reuse stuff in art projects and for anything I can think of around the house! Compost is great for my garden too!

That said, I do recycle what I can't reuse, but I sort it myself...

Answer 4

Sounds like your area wastes quite a bit in its efforts to be environmentally friendly.  Maybe you should suggest to your city counsel an alternative pick-up plan to save money and pollution.  I would suggest to them to pick up cans on the first week of the month, plastics the second week, and cardboard and paper the third.  Remember though, just because yours is not filled doesn't mean others bins aren't overflowing.