this post was submitted on 23 Mar 2025
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The problem isn’t just recycling; it’s consumption. Also, aluminum still holds some value. What else is worth recycling?
Glass
Glass used to be washed and reused. It's a lot more energy (and therefore greenhouse gases) to melt and reform into whatever.
Perhaps, but it's 100% reusable as far as I'm aware. It can also be used for other things, such as roads, or even to help plants grow.
Supply for high quality white sand used for almost all glass making will be exhausted in 2037, according to British Geologist Michael Welland.
There will be a point in the near future where recycling glass will be less expensive than sourcing high quality sand.
This is how it works in Germany. Lots of their water bottles are made of glass, and end up with textured/worn rings along the bottle; The rings are from where it goes through the recycling machines to get prepped for the next use. The rings mean the bottle has been reused a lot, and has gone through the machines enough to get slightly worn.
electronics
Paper, all metalls and glass. Collecting organic waste for either compost or, if your city does this, biogas plants is also good.
The highest value for the economy is cardboard recycling. Honestly, cardboard recycling creates a LOT of jobs. Companies get into bid wars trying to buy cardboard scrap to recycle.
Cellulose is generally recyclable but as I understand it degrades through each cycle, until it's basically unfit for recycling and is more efficient to burn for energy.
Recycled plastic gets used more when the price of oil goes up as these commodities are closely tied. Some places like automotive manufacturers only take auto grade plastics and those recycled materials can be in short supply so their is often demand for it.