Fresh Ideas and the People Who Bring Them to Life

Fresh Idea #11: Reconsidering Recycling, Part Two—It Could Be Garbage.

Is a goal of zero waste reasonable? Or, should we recycle only if it makes economic sense, and if it does, let the market regulate it, not government.

The problem with aiming for zero waste is that we assume almost everything has value. If you turn something into something else without using up more resources in the process, and someone wants it, then it’s valuable. Otherwise it’s garbage. Lots of stuff is garbage. [Read more…]