Report Calls Recycling Costlier Than Dumping

NY Times ^ | February 2, 2004 | ERIC LIPTON

[neverdem]

New Yawk's garbage is, in more ways than one, what a mess.

[FormerACLUmember]

I am told that it is common practice nationwide to take all those neatly sorted garbage materials and unceremoniously deposit them all in the municipal landfill!

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

[CommandoFrank]

One of Europe's top recyclers (Sweden?) just recently came to the same conclusion. Still, no one is listening...

[Eala]

LOL. Our locale was recently switched from smaller sorting bins (which fit in my vehicle alongside the trash can -- it's some distance to the county road) to giant unsorted wheeled bins that I have to walk out.

[ServesURight]

All garbage except metals should be incinerated at high temperatures and used for fuel to heat buildings.

[.38sw]

Our just switched, too. No more sorting - it'll all go in a 64 gallon bin now, including cardbord.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Several years ago, my rural county was considering spending millions on a recycling program and facility. It hired a consultant to examine the various proposals. Buried in his report was a clear statement that it would be cheaper to dump everything than to recycle.

Of course the liberals who run the county ignored him and spent $10 on a fancy recycling center. We've been paying for it every since.

[Eala]

spent $10 on a fancy recycling center.

How fancy a center can one get for $10.00? *\;-)

[sharkhawk]

I remember going with my Dad in the 70's and 80's to drop off papers at the Lion's clubs trailers. How much charity was lost because of the cities getting into the recycling biz.
Our city charges for each garbage can, they should keep that and leave the recycling to individuals profit motive.

[John H K]

The only thing worth recycling is aluminum (and that would take place without government intervention at all as it's economically viable and private entities would do it.)

Refining aluminum from ore takes vast amounts of electricity (I think aluminum plants are the largest single source or plant users of electricity in the world) and the supply of the really good aluminum ore, bauxite, is getting a bit low, I think (not that we'll ever run out, we'll just have to keep moving to less-rich ores.)

Melting aluminum down takes far less energy than recycling it.

But everything else (glass, paper, etc.) is a total waste of time.

[Sidebar Moderator]

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[Guillermo]

Hasn't it been common knowledge that recycling cost more than landfilling?

I remember reading a similar story about recycling costs in Miami-Dade several years ago.

Anyways, cost or environmental impact was never part of the equation. Recycling just makes leftists feel good, even though it is of no value.

[Verginius Rufus]

The problem with the article is that they are assuming that the purpose of recycling is to help the environment.

Instead, recycling is about making the practitioners feel virtuous.

Sort of like corporate executives, government officials and university administrators using racial and gender preferences.

[Wonder Warthog]

"All garbage except metals should be incinerated at high temperatures and used for fuel to heat buildings."

Disagree---actually, any carbonaceous materials (wood, paper, grass clippings, etc.) that are land-filled actually help to reduce "global warming" by sequestering CO2 that would normally be re-emitted to the atmosphere.

The ONE "profitable" recyclable in the article (paper) is just the thing that should NOT be recycled (or burned).

[snooker]

I have taken trash out to the county dump several times and have seen the neatly sorted piles being plowed under with the rest.

[RightWhale]

Of course recycling is more expensive considering the special handling. Just as alternative power is more expensive.

[Political Junkie Too]

But... but...

I thought it was worth any cost to protect the earth! That is what the environmentalists say, isn't it?

-PJ

[PAR35]

giant unsorted wheeled bins

Our giant wheeled bins have a divider so that the paper is sorted from the plastic and metal. Then, they dump it all into the same hopper on the truck.

[JSteff]

"I am told that it is common practice nationwide to take all those neatly sorted garbage materials and unceremoniously deposit them all in the municipal landfill!"

You are right. Years ago I asked our garbage guys where the recycled stuff goes... he said (this was 10+ years ago!) "it all goes to the dump."

He said rarely does any get taken to plants for any type of "recycling". It all get blended back together. Recycling is a scam to make many different people (other than us) money and make everyone feel like they are "doing something for the enviroment,"

More touchy feely costs us money once again. This has been a sick joke that needs to end NOW.