Who really profits from recycling?

Question

Which companies benefit from all the millions and millions of tons of free plastic/paper/wood/metal resourses available to them from our dustbins every week?

Do these companies help to prevent global warming in a none profit manner or do they just reuse the plastic in 'addition' to all the new plastic rubbish thats created every second of the day and just make fatter profits from all this endless cheap base materials?

Im curious because we are all told recycling is for the best but is it just another vast con from the government to reduce costs eg refuge collection/disposal in the same cynical manner record high public transport costs are sold to use as environmentally friendly alternatives and we are told to just suck it up for humanitys greater good.

Answer 1

Recycling was not started to stop global warming.

It was started to stop wasting natural resources and to stop land fills from overflowing.  It does help in so called global warming because it takes less energy to recycle  materials then it takes to create it from scratch.  You don't have to mine it to get it, you just remelt it and use it again.

Answer 2

Raleigh

Answer 3

well i would say the companies the use the recycled plastic for packaging...

but not so much the planet...as although it diverts a lot of waste.. it still create a large among of pollution

Answer 4

The planet

Answer 5

Recycling is not a business model based on making a lot of money. It is just the best option over throwing items away. In many or most places, in this country and others, recycling is not an option or only numbers 1 and 2 are recycled due to the cost of shipping the refuse and cost of melting down the recycling.

The best thing to do is to reuse what you can, although american society is not particularly helpful in that--we have the cash (or credit cards rather) to buy new stuff when in other countries, that stuff gets used up, so to speak. Also, our shopping and grocery system is not designed to reuse but to purchase items prepackaged for ease, sanitation, etc.

They say that most of landfills are pizza boxes (and other cardboard boxes) and diapers.

Answer 6

Our planet and all those who live here are the beneficiaries.  Do I buy into the global warming??? I don't feel I have done enough research on it to give an intellegent answer.  So I will answer from my heart.  I started recycling w/a grudge.  I had to pay for it (not much mind you) whether I recycled or not, so I gave in.  Now I cringe when I am out and have to throw something away because there is no recycle container available.  I know how much my family of 6 has decreased waste.  We used to have about 3 cans full (1 being a large one on wheels), sometimes 4, every week.  Now sometimes we don't even fill the large one.  Stupid ppl have since helped stop the recycle program in our town (door to door pick-up).  Now I have to take the recycled items in town to a large bin (they don't take glass, so I try and reuse those if possible).   It makes a mess in the back yard sometimes (with the wind), but when I think of how much less is going into the landfill by my family doing this, I must press on.  We are such a wasteful nation and it's time to realize our children's children may not have a healthy place to live if we all don't start doing SOMETHING, no matter how small.  I have switched many (not all) of my light bulbs to those more efficient bulbs (but ppl need to know it costs more to turn those on than the regular bulbs, so if it's a light that gets switched on and off a lot, you aren't necessarily doing a good thing, this is the part where we must use our brains).  I have also become more aware of the paper issue.  I will continue the toilet paper...lol , but I am so much more aware of the fact that every time I tear a paper towel off the holder, it better be for a good reason.  I buy the bounty select a size paper towels so I don't have to use a big one, if the job only calls for a small one.  We can use washable napkins.   If I get a lot of napkins from a fast food restaurant, I don't throw them away, I either put them in my glove box or take them home and use when I have a large amount of ppl over.  It only takes little steps to help out.  Will this help with global warming??? who knows?  But I can factually say it will save resources that will one day be gone if we all have a flipant attitude where recycling and conservation is concerned.

Answer 7

Regardless of what companies benefit from recycling, the entire planet benefits. Humans, plants, animals. C'mon guy.

Answer 8

If someone can turn a profit by getting rid of your garbage more power to them.

The best you can do is to consume less.  Recycling is the next best thing.  However, I have heard of (don't know if it's true)companies overwhelmed with the volume of recyclables, so they just landfill them.

Answer 9

we all do