Question for people that don't recycle?

Question

Do you think it costs you more to recycle personally or to just throw things away...and how much either way. I'm talking about household or at work, but just personally.

I'm sorry I wasn't clear, I do mean household only...or in your personal space at work....and the cost would be to you personally, which would probably include the extra given to garbage companies to pick it up from your curb

I thought all communities had some sort of recycling program with the garbage companies...I am surprised that some of you have to actually take it somewhere outside your local community.

Answer 1

I've tried to recycle the only things my community collects.

We had ONE collection container that would accept cardboard, plastic bags, and newsprint. It was constantly a pigsty, with garbage overflowing and blowing into neighboring businesses property.

In my new community, you can take printer cartridges in and get $3.00 off a replacement cartridge, and that's about. I can buy a new cartridge at WalMart and the cost is the same. Hardly worth the effort.

Other communities may have better organization and better results.

Answer 2

It shouldn't cost you anything either way. If you don't recycle, you throw it in the trash. If you do recycle, you throw it in the recycling bin. Unless by "recycling personally" you mean taking the recyclables to the plant yourself. In that case, it costs you the price of the gas used to drive there, but then you should more than recoup it in the payment you receive from the plant.

Answer 3

Forgive me for being dense - but I don't understand the question. Did you mean to say NOT just personally instead of BUT just personally? ANyway, I think it costs NOTHING either way just a matter of throwing it in a Blue Recycling Box or The Trash!

Answer 4

I do not know the answer. However, if we ALL recycled, there would be a tremendous reduction in collection/recycling costs.Imagine: a factory that recycles soda cans and non-collapsible containers rather than remanufacturing them. Probably the same, with tremendous savings on dirtfills,transportation and pollutants. Eventually, we'll run out of space with city dumps and burial grounds!

Answer 5

Okay here's the deal-o.
I HATE recycling.

YET I own a very environmental car, buy organic and do some recycling on my own with bottles, cans, bags etc... but I hate what our community has forced us to do. If we choose NOT to recycle they will fine us. (IE they search our garbage bags and REPORT what they find, which in it's self is a violation of my right to privacy.)
Until this bit of nanny government socialism cropped up I was cool with doing my part. Now I feel micro-managed. I don't think my local government should have this kind of power.

Answer 6

Well, if you do recycle, it costs more. You have your garbage men coming to take the actual garbage, then you have the recycling trucks that come which adds additional money. At least where I live, you need two trucks if you recycle. So it basically costs more to recycle where I live.

Answer 7

Is it recycling when it costs more money and/or resources, or creates dangerous pollution, to turn the "recycled" materials into useful items than to make the items from raw materials?

I spend a bit researching the process required to make the "recyceable" items into useful items. It's a real eye-opener.

Answer 8

Definitely costs me more to recycle here in Arkansas....to throw it away i just walk over to the apartment complexes dumpster; to recycle, I have to drive 10 miles which is almost a gallon of gas and wear and tear on the truck.

Answer 9

For us in Reno, the dollar cost through the sanitation company is the same whether we recycle or not. The only real cost is time - they want labels off and things rinsed out etc.

Answer 10

In terms of money its probably the same both ways. In terms of energy that I must physically use, it costs more to recycle.