Can incineration and landfills save us from the recycling crisis?
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In many parts of the US, it now costs more to recycle old plastic than to make new products. So what are the alternatives for getting rid of our waste?
By Bruce Watson
It’s been a tough year for plastic recycling, and the culprit is oil.
Over the past two years, petroleum prices have plummeted, at one point dropping to 70% below June 2014 levels. As prices have fallen, they’ve dragged down the cost of virgin plastic, which is made from oil. In many areas, it now costs more to recycle old plastic than to make new containers.
Environmentally, there’s no question that recycling is the best method for dealing with waste. Recycling one ton of aluminium saves 14,000kWh of electricity – compared to making aluminium from raw materials – more energy than the average household uses in a year. Paper products are less profitable, but recycling one ton of cardboard still saves 390kWh – more than a week’s worth of electricity.
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