Good News About Recycling

I have not blogged about the subject but I have made arguments in several places, including other blogs, that the cost of recycling is often more that the savings, both in financial and environmental terms. This article in Popular Mechanics suggests that that is no longer true, or at least the cost/benefit ratio is improving.

A study by Morris found that it takes 10.4 million Btu to manufacture products from a ton of recyclables, compared to 23.3 million Btu for virgin materials. In contrast, the total energy for collecting, hauling and processing a ton of recyclables adds up to just 0.9 million Btu. The bottom line: We don't need to worry that recycling trucks are doing more harm than good.

I stand corrected. Read the whole thing for other myth-busting goodness (on both sides of the issue).

(Via: Instapundit)