Is recycling really that cost efficient?

[jimmy p]

Is recycling really that cost efficient? I know that with some metals (eg. aluminium) it is cheaper to recycle because extraction is a ghastly and expensive process, but are there and organic compounds and metals which are cheaper to produce than recycle?

 

[jimmy p]

are there none? i only posted it here because we do 'extraction of metals' in chemistry.

 

[NateTG]

That really depends on what you mean by recycle. If you're talking about precious metals, for example, then it's obviously cheaper to process ore than to buy scrap, even
if the actual processing costs are higher.

 

[Monique]

Isn't the whole point of recylcing that we keep the planet clean? Garbage has to go somewhere, if you are willing to move (Jimmy) we might use some island as a dumpyard

 

[jimmy p]

what the...? you can't use Britain as a dumpyard, who would i live with?? is it an offer Monique? Anyway what so good about keeping the planet clean if you are wasting non-renewable resources recycling materials. There are other things to consider.

 

[Njorl]

It is also a question of future costs. Now, it is cheaper to make new plastic out of petroleum. Someday, that may not be so. By doing some recycling now, we delay that time. This is one of those things the market can not achieve. Market forces alone would dictate making new plastic, and discarding the old plastic for some time. Then, when recycling becomes profitable, the used plastic would all be in landfills, and not economic to retrieve.

Njorl