Economical Efficiency of Recycling
There is no doubt about environmental benefits of waste recycling but there are some doubts about its economic efficiency, while some economists resent the intervention by the government into the waste recycling industry. Only a few studies have been conducted on economic efficiency of waste recycling and came to conflicting conclusions, however, the facts speak for themselves. In addition, responsible waste management cannot be always measured with economic benefits and profits. Let’s see why waste recycling is just as economically efficient as environmentally friendly waste pollution reduction.
Waste recycling dramatically reduces the amount of waste produced by both households and industry which automatically reduces the pressure on landfills. As a result of minimization of waste, many municipalities have direct fiscal benefits from reduced landfill costs. Recycling of some materials such as plastic may not be as economically feasible but collection, reprocessing and reuse of others such as metals is much more profitable than virgin material production. There is also a number of other non-renewable materials which are estimated to be depleted in about a century or earlier if the rate of demand for these materials will continue which makes their collection and reuse of vital importance for the economy.
In addition to direct economical benefits, waste recycling brings a number of indirect benefits in both economic and environmental aspect. Reuse of waste materials uses significantly less energy than production of virgin materials. This automatically reduces air pollution considering that more than one half of global energy is obtained from fossil fuel burning which is known to be the number one contributor to air pollution as well as the global climate change. In addition, recycling reduces the need for environmentally damaging activities such as mining, while proper disposal of hazardous materials reduces the risk of soil and water contamination. The environmental benefits of recycling are of course priceless, however, they also bring priceless economic benefits. Pollution is known to be a major health risk factor, while ill population cannot be economically productive. Claims that waste incineration is the most economically efficient way to deal with household waste therefore do not hold water because even the most advanced technology cannot prevent all the toxic particles and gases from escaping in the atmosphere nor reduce the greenhouse effect as effectively as waste recycling because it does not provide an alternative source to raw materials.
There are, however, two conditions for waste recycling to be environmentally and economically efficient – nearby industrial reprocessing facilities for the collected material and a market for recycled goods. Nevertheless, the UK as well as other European governments encourage household waste recycling even if there are only minimal direct economic benefits because the environmental effects of recycling bring long-term benefits for both human welfare and the economy because only a healthy population can actively contribute to economic growth. Recycling may not be the solution for all environmental challenges but at the moment, it is the most effective way of waste management in both environmental and economic aspect.