On Thu, 18 Jul 1996, Kelly Marie Brown wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Did anyone happen to catch the story in the New York Times Magazine,
> June 30, 1996, "Recycling is Garbage" by John Tierney? I am interested
> in thoughts/ideas/opinions. I can identify some of the bias, but I am not
> quite confident in my ability to address the general idea that recycling is
> neither economically, nor environmentally wise. It is my understanding
> that there is a school of thought that says that recycling takes more
> resources out of the environment than it saves. After having read the
> story in the NYTimes Magazine I feel more confused than ever about
> what is the "correct" thing to do. I certainly wouldn't want to be
> recycling every ounce possible, when this activity is itself wasteful.
>
> Any thoughts??
>
> Kelly Brown
> Georgia State University
> School of Policy Studies, Dept. of Economics
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
It would seem wasteful to invest an entire day to pushing a cart around
the streets, gleaning aluminum cans. In the best of all possible worlds,
there would be stimulating, gratifying employment for this individual -and
of course, deposit, refillable bottles.
"Waste" is undoubtedly defined by the person writing. If it costs them
money, it is waste. If it poisons us for free, it is efficient.
In many parts of the world people glean much of what we throw out here.
Are they wasteful or are they shrewd reusers?
