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Recycling: Another environmental scam goes bust

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rangerrebew:
July 14, 2018
Recycling: Another environmental scam goes bust
By Colin Flaherty

Anyone who has ever been to a recycling plant is invariably surprised at how dirty and nasty America's favorite green activity really is.  Trucks dump the material on a long conveyor belt, where a few dozen people pick through by hand what is supposed to be recyclable material but more and more often is just plain old dirty trash.

The recyclables used to be worth something more than bragging rights about liberal moral superiority.  Plastic bottles, newspapers, and cardboard were just a few of the favorites you could ship to China by the ton and make a few bucks along the way.  No more: Last year, the Chinese were happy to pay us $100 a ton for newsprint.  Today, $5 a ton is the going rate.

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2018/07/recycling_another_environmental_scam_goes_bust.html

GtHawk:
What I have observed in SoCal in the cities that provide recyclable receptacles to homeowners is that the vermin come out at night and steal the cream before the the waste management trucks ever get them. And the tip off that this is all just a big scam is that no one in city government or the waste management companies does a damn thing about it. So why should I waste my time sorting my trash for a program that is supposed to use the money supposedly made from the recyclables to keep my fees down when they obviously don't care if the valuable recyclables are intercepted by thieves?

kidd:
Aluminum and copper is most definitely worth recycling. Making aluminum from raw ore is highly energy intensive.
Recycling some electronic parts for their rare-earth metals is also well-worth it, simply because China has the vast majority of economically accessible ore.

Other metals are probably worth recycling. Not sure on this.
Batteries, used motor oil and CFL bulbs are worth recycling because of their toxicity. But not because of economics.

Glass...no. Cannot mix clear glass with green glass with brown glass. Too labor intensive to sort.
Paper...hell no. Actually harms the environment - discourages planting of new trees. Makes more sense to simply burn it in a trash-to-energy plant.
Plastic...costs more to collect it than to make it from raw materials. No incentive to recycle.

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