Sunday, February 11, 2007

Recycling, is it bullshit?

I have posted on another blog a video by Penn & Teller about Recycling being bullshit. Is it bullshit? I never stopped to think about it before.

Recycling started out small here in my town. In the beginning, the village gave us these little dark blue bins that we were told to put only cans and glass into (but not colored glass). Our garbage collection bill was raised by $3 a month. We didn't fuss much about it because we were doing our part for the environment. Then they asked us to add paper and plastic to the recycling bin AND the village threatened to impose a fine if caught throwing any of these items in with regular garbage. We were recently given a large brown bin on wheels for recyclables and there was also an increase in fees at the same time. Grass clippings and yard waste have to go into brown bags with special stickers. These garden waste stickers cost $2.50 each. We were then told that we have to buy stickers for our regular garbage, and those stickers are $1.35 each and we can only use one per 30-gallon trash bag. On top of this, the village charges a regular garbage disposal fee and that has gone up to accomodate the cost of recycling.

I watched the Penn & Teller video (and have since read criticism of recycling programs) and wonder now if I am not just one of many, many suckers who are falling trap to something that might just be big business and nothing much to do with environmental issues at all. Does it all come down to what it usually does for most everything, the Almighty Dollar and a way to take more of it away from us?

3 comments:

uma said...

I heard about this too and am wondering what the truth is.

Stardust said...

Uma, I have been doing lots of research, reading articles and reports and it makes it all the more confusing. But I am thinking that no, it isn't bullshit. It might be in need of some adjustments and changes in recycling programs, but I would like to think it is making some kind of difference. Chicagoland is a lot cleaner than when I was growing up, before these environmental programs and fines for polluting.

Stardust said...

Uma, welcome home to Bombay, by the way. :-D