My neighbor still thinks recycling is the answer to everything, been trying to explain energy reduction for years

3 comments

3 Comments

Flip it around and think about where those recyclables even end up. Half the stuff you put in the bin either gets shipped overseas or just piles up in a warehouse somewhere because there's no real market for it. Recycling is just one small piece of a huge puzzle - you gotta look at what you buy in the first place and how much energy goes into making it. Energy reduction cuts off the demand completely rather than just shuffling the mess around (which is pretty much what recycling often does).

blake6912mo ago

The US actually recycles about 32% of its waste according to the EPA, but that number drops way lower for plastics specifically. Most of the energy savings come from things like aluminum recycling which uses 95% less energy than making new cans from raw ore. You're right that energy reduction matters more, but recycling still has its place for certain materials where it genuinely saves energy and resources.

oliver_morgan1mo ago

True energy savings come from not making the stuff in the first place, not just recycling it.