Recycling metals is fine in terms of mining and refining costs. The Japanese have done a marvelous job of developing molten metals separation processes. But instead of recycling plastics they should be shredded and burned for electricity. Paper products too.
What we're doing is stupid.
It was recently admitted here by our county betters that the recycling we do separating our trash and cleaning it out of food waste, and putting it into a separate trash can so it can be ‘collected’ on certain days, goes straight to the landfill.
Why?
Because there is no market for the stuff! Nobody wants to buy it!
But we are supposed to not stop doing the separation and cleaning of our trash!.................
We could ship all of America’s garbage to the middle of North Dakota for a Century, and you know what you would get when done?
Finally, a ski hill!
Maybe it makes a LITTLE sense to somebody. If you separate some of this stuff out into a recyycle bin, then it doesn’t all go into your waste container which goes to the city dump.So then SOME of it may be collected by the city separately & SOME of it is possibly recycled. Maybe that’s what they are after, to possibly keep some of it out of the city dump. Just a thought. You know, there are a few good recyclables.
You are correct.
Glass and metal can be recycled indefinitely. (Makes you wonder if that gold or silver coin you have has metal mined in ancient times)
Paper fibers lose their aspect ratio each time they’re recycled and plastic loses its molecular weight each time it goes through the screw extruder to be extruded or molded.
Downtown Nashville used to have a thermal plant. They burned the trash and sent the heat through ducts under the sidewalks.
Eventually it was shut down.