It's a matter of economics.
I can't be bothered to recycle newspaper and glass bottles. The time and fuss aren't worth it to me and it costs more to recycle them than to throw them away and make new ones. That high cost is an indication that labor and resources are being diverted from their best uses.
I do recycle where it makes financial sense. For example, I have in my house thousands of dollars worth of sophisticated machinery in which I recycle pots, pans, clothing, towels, and silverware. It's all about economics, not laziness.
I must respectfully disagree with you both.
This really doesn’t have anything to do economics or a superior culture. It has to do with wastefulness. I am guilty myself.
As recently as the 1960’s things were not as disposable as they are now. Consequently, things that could be used were kept. Just a small example...coke bottles were turned in for a couple of pennies. Of course one can sell coke cans for scrap, but I wonder how many people do.
I’m not an environmentalist or greenie by any stretch of the imagination. I just consider our current culture to be enormously wasteful. My grandmother would have a fit at the everyday items I throw in the trash. But she lived thru the Great Depression as well as WWII. We have never been forced to conserve to any degree.