In this series we are discussing some ‘Rubbish Realities’ or 'Three things everybody knows when we talk trash':

1. We know we're running out of landfill space;
2. We know we're saving resources and protecting the environment by recycling; and
3. We know no one would recycle if they weren't forced to.

Last column dealt with point 2 on the true economic costs of recycling and suggested it is much more expensive and indeed does not survive as a business model without Government or Industry subsidies. This post deals with consumer attitudes about recycling.

Biobased Plastics that can be composted, standard PET, PP, and PE products that can be recycled, and Packaging source reduction are all contemporary industry initiatives that target reduction in the volume of garbage being landfilled today. But starting back in 1999 scientists and economists began asking the question, is the problem less expensive than the solution?

This column series explores answers based on work originally published in Mises Daily: 2 December 2009 by Floy Lilley.