Benefits Of Recycling Out Weigh The Cost

Introduction

Recycling involves processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production. Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction and is the third component of the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" waste hierarchy. A benefit is anything that has a positive impact. It can be internal to the business or affect individuals and groups outside the business. A cost is anything that has a negative impact. It can be either internal or external. (Abeyta, 30)

Discussion

When examining benefits and costs, it is standard practice to try to measure them. The usual way to do this is to attach a monetary value to the costs and benefits. Businesses carry out decisions when the benefits outweigh the costs. By continually monitoring its performance, Corus is increasingly able to reduce costs and deliver benefits to stakeholders.

Everyone can see how the company is actively working to improve the environment. A cost-benefit analysis has also shown that the benefits of recycling are much greater than the costs.

“Some early curbside recycling programs…waste resources due to bureaucratic overhead and duplicate trash pickups (for garbage and then again for recyclables). But the situation has improved as cities have gained experience.”( Brown, 2002:124)

But in 2002, New York City, an early municipal recycling pioneer, found that its much-lauded recycling program was losing money, so it eliminated glass and plastic recycling. According to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the benefits of recycling plastic and glass were outweighed by the price -- recycling cost twice as much as disposal. Meanwhile, low demand for the materials meant that ...