...largest impact of the recycling program is to create more busywork government jobs,...
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Initially, recycling programs were funded via Federal grants. Every such grant mandates an administrator. In my area, those grants administrators make $20,000 per grant.
To paraphrase Eric Hoffer:
“Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.”
Recycling completed the transition and became a racket some time ago.