Why Should I Recycle

Many people think that they are saving the earth by recycling.  Are they really?  Maybe just a little.  Should you do it yourself?  Absolutely.  Do I recycle?  As much as I can.  Should you be forced to recycle?  Absolutely NOT.

The act of recycling uses quite a bit of fossil fuels to operate.  There has to be more vehicle usage to collect the recycle containers.  The recycling plants must use lots of electricity, fuel, and harsh chemicals to process the materials to be recycled.  There is still some refuse generated by the process – and that must be put in a landfill or burned.  The end product must be then shipped to the plants that will use it for whatever usage it’s destined for.  It seems to me that the net benefit is a fairly small percent – but any savings is worth it, right?

Maybe the end result is on the side of benefiting the environment, maybe it’s not.  I have yet to see a study that is unbiased one way or the other.  You will just have to decide for yourself.

Personally, I will continue to recycle.  I think there is an actual benefit to the environment since all those gobs of plastic are going to the recycling plant instead of a landfill.  The paper is kind of immaterial to me since in either the landfill or the recycling plant it will either decompose or get processed away.  The reduction of “stuff” that I send to the landfill is worth it.  The reduction of my bill to the garbage company makes it worth it.