Why don't you recycle?

Question

I didn't recycle very much until this week... In one week I had completely filled, by myself, one blue recycling box. Without even thinking about it and with very little effort!

So why don't you? If your workplace doesn't offer recycling, why not demand it?

Plastic bags are estimated to take 500-1500 years to degrade. Why not recycle them? Instead of using plastic water bottles & tossing them, get a water purifier and use a reusable water bottle. Cost is less than $30 and you'll have significantly less garbage.

Why don't you recycle?

Answer 1

Most recycling around the nation is a scam. The only thing proven to be useful is Aluminum and paper. All other types consume more energy than they save (paper consumes more energy to recycle too, but you don't dump more bleach into the sytem like new paper processing.

Answer 2

I recycle and reuse anything that can be. I disagree with some of the comments above saying that recycling takes to much time or they are just to lazy. It is actually less effort in my opinion to recycle provided your city has a curb side recycling program. I also try to recycle other various items such as: car parts, bike parts or any other part that may be of use to someone else before I even think of sending it to the landfill. I also know there are many others that share the same idea when it comes to tossing something that may be of use to someone else that is why I decided to create a website devoted to people trying recycle or reuse items that were once deemed non-recyclable.

Answer 3

It's not difficult once you get into the habit of it. I remember when I watched the documentaries about the Swedes recycling when I was young, thinking how inconvenient life would be. Always have a recyclable shopping bag with me in the car, I hardly buy things I don't need. I also have a big handbag so when I buy little things like a toothpaste, I can toss it in my bag instead of grabbing a plastic bag.
My theory is rather 'recycling' waste, I avoid producing waste, buy vegetables without the plastic tray and not to buy microwave/oven meals as they tend to have excessive packaging.
The only real vice I have is leaving the computer on, I want to switch on the monitor and use it straight away instead of waiting 5 mins for the computer to start up.

Answer 4

Because the costs outweigh the personal benefit. I have been saving aluminum , but I have to take it somewhere to be recycled, so it costs ME money. My trash service supposedly offers recycling, but they've never picked up , EVER. I've called and called,and never get a live human. Go figure. With the price of gas, it's not worth the travel to take it somewhere that is not close by.

If it's not convenient, and cost effective for the average consumer, it won't be done. Period. Same for work, they used to recycle, but now, they cut it out as a money-wasting effort, as being too far from any worthwhile recycling center, the gas and time cost more than the recycling. So, there ya have it.

- The Gremlin Guy -

Answer 5

I do not recycle because the council do not make it easy enough, you get one tiny box, you can't put certain things in even if they are "recyclable", I kind of recycle newspaper by reading, using it as rabbit bedding then burning it so it gets a good use, the rabbits appreciate it (lol). I keep all plastic bottles to fill for things like sports events, going to clubs ect, its cheaper than buying new bottles. I also do not buy bottled water because I have a filtered water machine from the water systems. I use boxes to make toys for my hamsters, rabbits or chickens. So i don't recycle by letting them go away to places to be turned into new things, just recycle as in use them for a different purpose, so maybe i do recycle 0-o

Answer 6

Well I do, but I have met a few that don't and frankly I'm not impressed. They seem to be of the opinion that we're all going to hell in a basket anyway so why should they bother, or that all this environmental 'scaremongering' has some sinister ulterior motive and they are not going to fall for it. I really don't understand what greenies are going to gain by saying 'reduce re-use recycle' that could possibly have some ulterior motive, it is about using less, so it isn't about selling you stuff. I know that there are some who say it is bad for industry, but there won't be much industry left if all the petro chemicals have been drilled out of the earth.

Answer 7

I don't recycle because I'm a pompous, arrogant, selfish, wasteful, ignorant, slothful bast*rd who doesn't give a tinker's damn about anything expect myself. I drive a Hummer and an SUV and waste as much gasoline as I can. I toss trash into the rollaway and let my garbageman take it to a landfill. I don't care about REducing, REusing, or REcycling because I think it's a waste of my precious time. I leave my lights on, overheat my house, spread chemicals on my lawn, and encourage the burning of more fossil fuels just because I can afford it. And while I say I care about my children and grandchildren, I really could care less about the kind of world they'll have to live in as adults just because of my own personal arrogance, avarice, pomposity, slothfulness, ignorance, waste and selfishness. -RKO- 11/17/07

Answer 8

"Where facilities exist."

I do recycle everything that can be. Some packaging cannot be recycled. I put out about one garbage bag of non-recycleables per month. Less if I can avoid the bad types of packaging by reducing or reusing.

Answer 9

I recycle plastic No. 1 & 2; glass; "tin" cans, aluminum cans, newspapers & magazines, and cardboard; and electronics. That is all that is recyclable in our area. Food scraps I put out for the birds.

Answer 10

I absolutely refuse to recycle here in Akron. They charge for the blue bucket used to hold the stuff (one time fee), charge a recycling fee on my bill, expect me to do the sorting of material to be recycled, they re-sell the material to recycling centers for profit.
Other places that I have lived there were no such fee's and the city made their money from re-selling (not from you and me).
It's a scam.