Why do poor countries recycle and the rich countries dump?

Answer 1

Years ago there was a cartoon in PLAYBOY showing a wealthy woman drenched in mink and diamonds getting out her limousine with her wealthy husband. The caption read, "So, Orville, if you're so rich, how come you're not smart?" A similar cartoon appeared shortly afterwards where the wealthy man boasted to his wife, "I don't have to recycle; I'm RICH!"

The sad fact is we're too "rich" and comfortable in the United States to have to inconvenience ourselves with the three R's of REcylcing; REusing; and REturning. It's just so much easier to toss our newsprint, plastic, glass, aluminum, cardboard, phone books, magazines, steel, styrofoam cups, and tin cans into a dumpster to have it hauled away and buried in a landfill.

And, apparently we're not SMART enough to recognize the damage we do to the planet when we don't recycle. Only when it becomes too expensive or too inconvenient will we change our lackadaisical attitudes about recycling.

Poor countries, on the other hand (as well as more enlightened societies) understand the importance of recycling. Consider all the issues:

If we don't recycle our cardboard, aluminum, tin cans, paper, plastic, newsprint, magazines, styrofoam, asphalt, cooking grease, phone books, steel, and yard wastes, it will all eventually pile up in landfills that will eventually leach toxic poisons into the air and into our streams. While our generations might not live to see such disasters, our grand-children and great-grandchildren will, and they will have us to thank for their not being able to breathe clean air or drink clean water. Won't they be proud? -RKO-

Answer 2

Why do you think that poor countries recycle more? Recent studies that monitor recycling rates in other nations report that Germany (paper 70-80%), the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland (glass 91%), and Sweden are the world leaders in recycling waste. The United States recycles almost 30% of its waste!
As a rule, poor countries do not have the infrastructure to support large scale recycling programs; rich countries do. For more information on waste management around the world, see this report from the BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4620041.stm

Answer 3

The poor countries recycle because they get money for all their recycleables. I lived in China for a few years and the poor people went through the garbage and took every scrap of plastic, paper, glass, etc....to make money. It's mainly done for money, not so much the environment. But the rich countries are more wasteful, if they do recycle it isn't for money, it's for the environment. Hope I helped.

Answer 4

Simply put, importing trash is a cash-making machine. If they have spare land, which africa has plenty of, they can just import the trash and dump it where no one sees it. Unfortunately, due to a lack of proper waste management, the hazardous landfills are polluting their groundwater and causing sickness throughout their lands.

Recycling is also a cash-making machine, if you know how to, with natural resources becoming more costly to harvest, recycling is the way to get raw materials and a cost-effective method, so the poor countries recycle and sell back to the rich countries. They get paid to take the trash, and get paid to sort through it for any valuables.

Answer 5

The depressingly cynical answer is: rich countries can afford to waste resources, poor countries can't. In the industrialized world, there will ALWAYS be plenty of everything to go around -- no shortages, and we'll raise a ruckus if prices for goods go too high -- whereas in the developing world, every little bit you can save and reuse is a few rand or baht you don't have to spend on new stuff that you can then invest towards things like... food.

Answer 6

I would think that the poor countries reuse and the rich countries recycle.

Answer 7

I think it doesn't matter weather it's a poor or rich country. Both countries recycle what they dont have much, and dump when abundant.

Answer 8

Poor countries can't buy again on other countries, but rich countries will say:" Who cares of recycle, I ave A lot of $$$, why i reclcy. That's domb, why don't i buy a new one?" THat's why America has lot of junks.

Answer 9

I live in england apparently a rich country, The rich countries dump cus they are so ignorant that they cant see if they keep doing this they will destroy the planet!

Answer 10

it's not about rich and poor...I think. germany for example recycles, but they're not poor. america dumps, because, they have the space. as soon as they run out of space (and people finally complain too much about dumping grounds in their back yard) they'll have to do it, too.