Why Do We Recycle?: Markets, Values, and Public Policy

Product Description

The earnest warnings of an impending “solid waste crisis” that permeated the 1980s provided the impetus for the widespread adoption of municipal recycling programs. Since that time America has witnessed a remarkable rise in public participation in recycling activities, including curbside collection, drop-off centers, and commercial and office programs. Recently, however, a backlash against these programs has developed. A vocal group of “anti- recyclers” has appeared, arguing that recycling is not an economically efficient strategy for addressing waste management problems.

In Why Do We Recycle? Frank Ackerman examines the arguments for and against recycling, focusing on the debate surrounding the use of economic mechanisms to determine the value of recycling. Based on previously unpublished research conducted by the Tellus Institute, , a nonprofit environmental research group in Boston, Massachusetts, Ackerman presents an alternative view of the theory of market incentives, challenging the notion that setting appropriate prices and allowing unfettered competition will result in the most efficient level of recycling. Among the topics he considers are:

• externality issues-unit pricing for waste disposal, effluent taxes, virgin materials subsidies, advance disposal fees
• the landfill crisis and disposal facility siting
• container deposit (“bottle bill”) legislation
• environmental issues that fall outside of market theory
• calculating costs and benefits of municipal recycling programs
• life-cycle analysis and packaging policy-Germany’s “Green Dot” packaging system and producer responsibility
• the impacts of production in extractive and manufacturing industries
• composting and organic waste management
• economics of conservation, and material use and long-term sustainability

Ackerman explains why purely economic approaches to recycling are incomplete and argues for a different kind of decisionmaking, one that addresses social issues, future as well as present resource needs, and non-economic values that cannot be translated into dollars and cents.

Backed by empirical data and replete with specific examples, the book offers valuable guidance for municipal planners, environmental managers, and policymakers responsible for establishing and implementing recycling programs. It is also an accessible introduction to the subject for faculty, students, and concerned citizens interested in the social, economic, and ethical underpinnings of recycling efforts.

Are there any environmentally-friendly public companies that benefit when the price of oil falls?

Most environmentally-friendly companies, especially the ones involved in producing alternative energy like wind and solar, suffer when the price of oil falls. It’s cheap to burn gas, which makes the alternatives less attractive.

The price of oil being as volatile as it is, a green portfolio with nothing but alt-energy stocks would be volatile and risky. It would take a beating whenever oil falls. In order to make the portfolio’s outcome less variable, one would have to include stocks that are counter-cyclical with respect to oil.

Are there any such stocks among environmentally friendly companies?

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Gadsden Boy Scout Troop 54 meets at 6:30 p.m. in the Scout Cabin at Noccalula Falls. Call Larry Sitz, 256-538-5720. Goodyear Boy Scout Troop 58 meets at 6 p.m. in the Goodyear Boy Scout Cabin. Call Scoutmaster Rudy Borgersrode, 256-547-8008.

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Earth-friendly ideas for spoiling the baby
When it comes to your first baby (or grandbaby), you want everything to be perfect. And with all the toxic chemicals and pollutants out there, you probably want things to be green, too. While most people think that going green means spending green, that doesn’t have to be the case. Here are some tips on how to save money while limiting the little one’s carbon footprint:

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Get up close and personal with Lotus car, drivers onTuesday
KUALA LUMPUR: Formula 1 fans can get up close and personal with the Lotus Racing Team’s actual race car and its drivers Jarno Trulli, Heikki Kovalainen and Fairuz Fauzy, and get their autographs, as well. A celebration bash will be held at the Pavilion shopping centre from 3pm to 10 pm on Tuesday.

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