I have been a fan of journalist John Stossel for decades. His latest video short is titled, "Even Greenpeace Says “Most Plastic Simply Cannot Be Recycled.” Here are some of his key points.
For decades we've been encouraged to recycle as though it were a moral obligation. The message has been simple: separate your trash, rinse your containers, and you're helping save the planet.
But what if the story is more complicated? Or even bunk.
John Stossel recently revisited the economics and realities of recycling, and many of his findings are surprising. While recycling aluminum, cardboard, and some paper products generally makes good economic and environmental sense, much of what Americans dutifully place in recycling bins—especially plastics—never gets recycled at all. Some ends up in landfills, some is shipped overseas, and some is ultimately burned or discarded.
Stossel also challenges long-held assumptions about landfill shortages and argues that modern landfills are far cleaner and more abundant than many people realize. His larger point isn't that we should stop caring about the environment. Rather, it is that good intentions don't automatically produce good results. Before spending billions of dollars and millions of hours pursuing any environmental policy, we ought to ask a simple question: Does it actually accomplish what we think it does?
That seems like a reasonable place to begin any honest conversation. In most cases, as Stossel's sources within the industry point out, the answer is "no."
Photo at top of page by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
