I think it's probably pretty accurate to say many don't have accurate info about recycling, including what's actually going on in their own region (i.e. what is actually recycled and how it's done).
I also agree the problem goes beyond simply recycling. Recycling is a band-aid and a difficult one to apply. If you want real solutions to anything, I think you need to look a problem's sources - like how much waste we create to begin with.
That being said, just because 'recycling doesn't save the Earth' doesn't mean we should completely abandon it. No single action can 'save the Earth' - it requires a lot of effort on the part of a number of people. Perhaps that's the discouraging part - that people can't see how their actions could have a positive impact.

 

[end rambling!]

 

I Think Recycling has more negative then possitive for the most part because no one wants to do it the right way because the right way isn't profitable!

As for rather or not we need to do it to stop pollution i would argue that it doesn't help much if at all.

Paper can be remade after chopping it up into fine particles and using water to create lower quality paper but then the inks from the paper have to go somewhere. How toxic is the ink? I know I wouldn't want to drink ink water. You can burn the paper for energy but then your polluting well at least its not just sitting in a big hole. However whats bad about it sitting in a big hole? If built properly the landfillshouldn't leach into ground water. Hum produce some CO2,CO or bury it? I'd rather see it turn into energy but then again I rather see nuclear energy then a paper electric plant.

We consume stuff that's in packaging. Until the material the packaging is made of becomes too expensive to make then we'll just have to deal with it.

 

You have any links with some support?

What about the resource itself? Just keep killing all of the tree's instead of recycling paper..... Not so sure about your "polute more to recycle than to make new", but there won't be any trees left if people don't recycle!

I would like to see where it takes more effort / polution to turn an old newspaper into a new newspaper vs taking a tree and making it a newspaper.....

Linky please.

 

We won't run out of tree. That might happen whens the sun burns out.

If we do, I'll be long gone.

 

Yeah they have all gone on strike and decided to stop growing and reproducing..

Do your own simple internet search about the efficency of recycling paper.

 

The facts are 1)Paper is produced by farmed trees that are less than 25 years old. The trees cut down are replanted. No old growth trees are used for paper. 2)In order to recycle paper, much clean water is used.

 

http://www.williams.edu/HistSci/curr...1/garbage.html

 

I try to recycle as much as possible. Even go as far as delivering the garbage to the town recycling center. Although our town has pickup, they are very picky with the trash. A BIG PITA!!! So I relate to the folks above. I try to do my part but the system if F'd because in the end it mostly just goes into the landfill.

 

At the elementary school which all three of my kids attended, Thursday was Recycling Day. They would bring newspapers, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, or whatever to school to recycle.

I use this description in a card effect (real magicians don't call them card "tricks") I do to explain why I use old, worn-out playing cards: my kids won't let me throw them away; I have to recycle them.