Is recycling(as of the moment) actually bad?

The problem with recycling is that it still has as many cons as pros. It isn't necessarily 'bad' but it does use a lot of fossil fuels to recycle.

It depends on your definition of bad. In most of the world, few things can be recycled profitably without some sort of subsidy, either as a deposit on the item to be recycled or underwriting the cost of the recycling directly. Is that bad? Many items can be recycled for less energy than it takes to manufacture the same item, but when you add in labor and transport costs it isn't cost-effective.

Some things like newsprint and other paper, cardboard, aluminum and some metals are easy or profitable to recycle. Most other things aren't with current technology so they're often not recycled even though you may sort things into neatly labeled bins, because nobody wants to lose money on the recycling.

So it's good from one point of view, if you assume we have limited and diminishing resources, which is only partly true. It's bad if you're being forced to recycle and lose money at it. At some point it will become profitable just as it will again be cheaper to repair than to replace a broken microwave or tv, but not because the government mandates it. There's no good in pointing you to a particular study since you can find a study proving just about any point of view you want on this issue.

Our world is 6 billion years old.. The minerals that are here will last another 150 years at the most except for iron or, coal and maybe bauxite. There are supplies of the first two items for a thousand years

We are going to run out of vital trace elements soon. Yes within 150 years. The trace elements that turn iron into space age steels. Stainless steels and so on. Then there is chrome and molybdenum and titanium and so on that will not be there for much longer.. They are only found in trace form and will be amongst some of the vital elements that we will run out of first. They allow us to go to the bottom of the oceans and to the planets beyond. it will be difficult to do without them. Yes recycle and even the tin can.. It has already been smelted and only needs to be remelted for another life with less energy.And the same with Aluminium.. Many cities are presently having trouble selling their recycled products due to the global down turn. They are being dumped instead of being stock piled for better times.

Lead and steel are recycled without much in the way of subsidy, and the metal scrap industry is still making it--even in the face of some fairly stifling regulation. Most car batteries and nearly all the cars built are ultimately recycled, not because people are trying to be environmentally friendly but because that metal is worth cash and in their way. I carried 11 pounds of aluminum and 120 lbs of steel to the scrappers day before yesterday, and I got paid $6.02. I probably used $1.00 worth of fuel, but I would have used more than that to haul this stuff all the way out to the dump.

If the recyclers are willing to pay me for it, recycling is a good thing.

The best measurment we now have of the total amount of energy something consumes is its price - particularly when the item is a commodity. The price of an item may be higher than the amount of energy it uses, but generally stabilizes at not a lot more than that.

The thing we really need to pay attention to is the price paid for material to be recycled. If it's more than other raw materials, then the energy required to turn it into something good again is less than the other raw materials, and recycling makes sense.

As almost all places charge you a premium price for garbage pickup to do recycling ( either through taxes, or garbage collection rates ) it basically proves that recycling consumes MORE energy than it saves.

You could also watch your typical recycling collection truck make its rounds. (two guys wages + fuel + truck = about $100/hr to pick up $1 worth of crap... you get the idea quickly if you watch it.)

Yes

To be honest anyone who take info from a show like Penn & Tellers (aptly named) :Bullshit is already show little interest in gathering real info.

You shouldn't need links to apply simple logic both glass and aluminum require considerable mining and processing to get to the raw material stage, but here are links anyway

http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/Informatio...

While I also found the penn & tellers show entertaining they were obviously more interested in shock than real information

http://resourcities.acrplus.org/recycling/recyclin...

Of course the fact they are fellow of the Cato Institute may have something to do with them pushing the agenda they do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cato_institute#Fellow...

Did they do a show saying smoking was good for you!!!!

comment like this

"You could also watch your typical recycling collection truck make its rounds. (two guys wages + fuel + truck = about $100/hr to pick up $1 worth of crap... you get the idea quickly if you watch it.)"

This comment only works if you don't watch your typical mining vehicles (excurvator & large truck & train) that dig out and transport the raw material 'bauxite' and the quite a few more than two guys involved +wages + fuel.

Recycling 1 kg of aluminium saves 8 kg of bauxite.

I work in that field, recycling ldpe, paper and organic material. There is good money in it.

Just one catch, im in peru... i can afford the labour, most recycling operations in the US are subsidised and loose money.

The reason is simple, the materials have low value and the fix costs of a mid range operation could not be covered at full capacity, its that simple.

It's pretty simple. We are running out of things. There are not endless supplies so recycling and reusing only makes sense. The idea of leaving something for another generation or two does not make me a tree hugger. It means I have evolved past the idea that I can use up everything and that I deserve it all. Maybe you don't have children and want to see them have something besides the mess we are making.

what i want to know is how could it be bad? We are re-using materials. The only way it could be bad is the trucks we use the amount of fuel and other stuff they have to use to use the machines to break down the recycled materials. It is also a very expensive product.. Just found this article maybe this will you give something to go on.http://www.ehponline.org/docs/1995/103-11/focus2.h...

Do you always get your information from bad magician, or are they bad comedians? Personally I prefer more credible sources of information. It's somewhat ironic you asking for "sources from actual studies" but for you Penn & Teller is good enough.

BTW, I think the avatar name you are using is in incredibly bad taste and very offensive.