Posts Tagged ‘energy cost’

Start from here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7734998370503499886&q=penn+teller+duration%3Along+recycling

Wouldn’t it be great to have confidence in Recycling again?

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So in a practical sense, under what circumstances is Recyling OF PAPER OR PLASTIC worthwhile?
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By "worthwhile" I mean economically viable, environmentally favorable in the short/medium/long term, and/or beneficial to people/animals. Any statements declaring a positive should take into account its tradeoffs (eg. recycling of plastic saves petroleum, but is that worth the chemical byproducts and energy cost associated with recyling it?). Social arguments along the lines of "it increases awareness of environmental issues" are probably not sufficient since the URL above shows that we can all be aware without necessarily being informed or correct.

Answers focusing on the United States (or even urban California, where I live) are great!

Responses based mostly on opinion or conjecture are discouraged.

I’ve heard that water and energy cost less at night for some reason, and started wondering how the utilitiy companies know? Does the meter register less use at night?

I was talking to someone who said that it takes more energy and money to recyle paper than it is to make it from raw materials.

Things to consider (all following situations is under the assumed condition that there are enough recyling facilities around so transportation won’t be a major factor.)

-What’s being recycled (paper, plastic and metal)
-Enviromental impact
-Energy cost
-Money

Please back your answer with sources or be someone that’s capable of answer this question with expert opinion.