Why recycling is bad for the economy

Nov 11, , pm EST. Nov 11, , am EST. Edit Story. May 22, , am EDT. From Chicago, I write about climate change, green technology, energy. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website. Jeff McMahon. On landfills now being built in ways that make them more valuable. They still present a problem to neighborhoods.

Nobody wants to live next to a landfill. Economic data and models are very clear that being located within two miles of a landfill does reduce the value of your properties. So these things are not environmentally great, but you just compare in the margin using a landfill relative to putting plastic through a very energy-intensive process to recycle, then in terms of a carbon footprint, it comes very close and it may actually, in some cases, be beneficial to recycle that.

Modern landfills require very thick linings of clay or impermeable plastics. When they are constructed, they have imbedded in them special grids to allow all methane and all leachate to be collected and treated.

And again, a good life cycle model will account for all of these things, and the life cycle models are looking more favorably on landfilling and incineration then they were 25 years ago.

We might start riding our bike or walking more than driving our car. Skip to main content. Fast forward to early , and these Southeast Asian countries shocked the world by beginning to reject the waste as well. Primarily, the Asian countries involved are taking a stand against imported waste because toxic waste included in the shipments has been negatively impacting the environment in the importing countries.

Additionally, strong economic growth and increased labor costs in these markets are making the recycling sector less profitable in these economies. Their economic growth is also causing an increase in their own plastic use, forcing the countries in question to manage their own waste before they can address that of other countries.

It has forced locations in the United States to bear heavy costs associated with managing and processing waste, causing waste managers to charge city governments up to four times more than they previously did for their services. Recycling is beneficial to the environment, but it is a cost-intensive and lengthy process. In response to the current situation, many cities and counties are either halting their recycling processes or dumping the excess waste in landfills or incinerating it, damaging the environment in the process.

Reduce dependence on plastics! Governments worldwide are discussing ways to tackle recycling supply chain challenges. From banning single-use plastics like cutlery and straws, to restrictions on plastic shopping bags and imposing taxes on manufacturers, policymakers are encouraging the public to reduce their waste generation.

In February of this year, California introduced legislation that proposed a phase out of single-use plastic products by