what are the down sides of recycling?

Question

pro`s and con`s

Answer 1

Benefits
Recycling is beneficial in two ways: it reduces the inputs (energy and raw materials) to a production system and reduces the amount of waste produced for disposal.

Some materials like aluminum can be recycled indefinitely as there is no change to the materials. Other recycled materials like paper require a percentage of raw materials (wood fibers) to be added to compensate for the degradation of existing fibers.

The resources being processed are purer, less energy is needed to process them and less energy is needed to transport from the place of extraction (e.g. bauxite/aluminium ore mines in Brazil or coniferous forests in Scandinavia).

This reduces the environmental, social, and usually the economic costs of manufacturing.

For example, bauxite mines in Brazil displace indigenous people, create noise pollution from blasting, machinery and transport, and create air pollution in the form of particulates (dust). The habitat loss and visual destruction is also negative both to the aesthetic qualities of the areas and the local environment. However, the mines do provide employment and revenue to the local population and economy, promoting development of the country as a whole.

Recycling aluminium saves 95% of the energy cost of processing new aluminium because the melting temperature is reduced from 900 °C to 600 °C. It is by far the most efficient material to recycle.

The most commonly used methods for waste disposal (landfill, pyrolysis, incineration) may be environmentally damaging and unsustainable. Therefore any way to reduce the volume of waste being disposed in this fashion may be beneficial. The maximum environmental benefit is gained by waste minimization (reducing the amount of waste produced), and reusing items in their current form such as refilling bottles.





Drawbacks
All recycling techniques consume energy for transportation and processing, and some also use considerable amounts of water.

There may also be drawbacks with the collection methods associated with recycling. Increasing collections of separated wastes adds to vehicle movements and the production of carbon dioxide. This may be negated however by centralized facilities such as some advanced material recovery facilities of mechanical biological treatment systems for the separation of mixed wastes. However, this is almost never the case for urban areas, taking into account the massive number of workers, machines, and vehicles needed for the recycling process.

Perverse consequences from mercury recycling have been cited recently by the Wall Street Journal (April 20, 2006). The article traces mercury recovered from USA recycling programs into sales of mercury for alluvial mining activities in Brazil. During the autumn of 2006, the EU banned the export of liquid mercury (Europe has no mercury mining, only recovery from recycling). A full life-cycle analysis prior to institution of recycling programs may reduce the risk of unintended environmental consequences.

Answer 2

A lot of recycled stuff is transported long distances to the place where it can be re-used. For example a batch of old magazine CDs will be shipped out to China for melting down and pressing into cheap plastic things. Also things that really ought to be recycled, like glass can have a batch spoilt for purpose if say a blue bottle gets into the mix. Ideally think re-use, not recycle if possible.

Answer 3

I live in a rural area. The recycle truck comes by every two weeks. Because of the miles this truck has to drive from one house to the next, I suspect it takes more fuel to pick this stuff up than we can ever gain from the little recycling that results.

I'm all in favor of recycling. It just seems this is not the way to do it.

Answer 4

In the UK the Government encourages re-cycling.
At the same time it places the blame for the increase in rubbish, firmly on the shoulders of the consumers.
At the same time it crows in triumph about the consumer led growth over the last ten years.
So, we have a situation where we are encouraged to buy/consume ever more.......and yet chided for throwing things away!
Industry claims that profuse packaging is designed to protect the product in transit and, to convey all the information required by the Common Market.
Yet there are many things such as children's toys that are over packed, just to make the package look more of a bargain.
Lots of people take the trouble to re-cycle - we would do more if our local council would actually collect and dispose of the stuff correctly - a lot of re-cycling is down to smoke and mirrors.
What is needed is better designed packaging - so there is less factory created rubbish in the first place.

Answer 5

It's a drain on the economy. The only recycling that is economically viable is metals (aluminum, steel, copper, etc.)

Plastics and newsprint are not.

The money wasted on recycling these products could be used in a more beneficial manner.

As an example, buying up land and ensuring it stays wild before developers grab it and put up another Walmart.

Answer 6

The pros are filling up less space in garbage dumps and conserving more resources. The negative aspects of recycling include the exhorbitant cost of recycling collection programs, the lack of steady supply of recycled objects, and the cost of making the objects reusable.

In our community they had a terrible problem with home pick up recycling. It was done on garbage day with materials placed in a special container. Papers flew loose around the neighborhood. Each week different employees rejected different materials, leaving you with piles of materials that printed pamphlets guaranteed were recyclable. The complaints and cost drove them to switch to a community drop off spot. People drop other garbage there, animals root around and make huge messes, and vandals constantly target the unsupervised areas.

Answer 7

The cons

- Some of the stuff is not able to be recycled.
- Councils will use it as an excuse to cut rubbish collection services / get money from people in 'fines'.
- Some people like myself ARE B****Y FED UP WITH GOVERNMENT ETC TRYING TO MAKE THE AVERAGE PERSON FEEL AS GUILTY AS HELL IF WE DON'T RECYCLE.
- It does not actually make a great deal of difference - the real damage is from countries like the US / China who churn out millions of tonnes of harmful stuff each day.
- If Tesco's Asda Cadburys etc DID NOT PRODUCE SO MUCH PACKAGING IN THER PRODUCTS WE WOULD NOT HAVE TO RECYCLE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
- The whole subject is becoming BORING

Answer 8

the biggest downside to recycling is it diverts attention from Reduce and Reuse.
Governments set targets for recycling, not waste reduction; councils, to meet these targets, have long term contracts to supply large quantities of waste, eg for incinerators.

Better for the environment and our sustainability is to reduce packaging, reduce unnecessary consumption;
repair rather than replace;
re-use rather than break up for recycling - charity shops etc.
rather than recycling.

Recycling fits with the economic growth model used by "developed" countries - it does not make complete sence on a finite planet; it's better than simply dumping stuff we no longer want.

Answer 9

One, it's costs more.
Two, causes more pollution.
Three, uses more energy to recycle than to make it from scratch.(except for aluminum)
There are others but I can't think of them now.

On the positive side it makes people feel better about themselves.

Answer 10

The "pro" is that we are not wasting the world's resources because we are re-using materials that have already been processed.

The "con" is that we are polluting the atmosphere even more and using up more oil and petrol driving to recycling centres with our rubbish.

We are effectively wasting our time and effort and causing more damage to the environment.