current recycling+environment

[encephalon]

I've an issue with recycling that nobody's really been able to effectively help me with, and it bothers the hell out of me, honestly. Hopefully someone can help me with this.

I understand the basic concept of recycling: to save resources for future use. Yet the problem arises when you think about how recycling is done: the product is sent to a plant, prrocessed, and redistributed. While it cuts out the harvesting process done without recycling, it effectively replaces the process with the harvesting of material that was simply used before.

So this saves those resources from being used up more, right?

Yeah, but at the same time it further destroys other resources: air, for one. These recycling plants are dependent upon electricity, which is largely produced by a pollution-spewing power plant. Not only that, but they recycle material still goes through the process of being reshaped into something else, which still does the same amount of harm to the environment as new material being processed. It still takes the same amount of energy, too, to process these materials--and it may in fact take more energy, meaning more pollution, depending on what needs to be done to make the resource reusable.

Yet even worse, the only materials being recylced are those that are profitable to be recycled.

My point is, I guess: how does recycling actually help if it's just trading the salvation of one resource humanity depends upon with the pollution of another necessary resource? If we had a clean energy source and resource distribution was not dependent upon profit, then it'd be a different story.. but as it is, it seems as though it doesn't solve anything, and is primarily an illusion.

Any thoughts on that, or a way around it?

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

The only solution I can think of is proletarian revolution combined with the development of fusion power. Under capitalism, it just isn't profitable to recycle everything that can be recycled. Not to mention the fact that act of recycling itself, as you mentioned, generates air pollution as well as generating toxic chemicals that have to be dealt with.

I think it's a case of priorities. Under capitalism the priority is profit, so resources are sacrificed in the name of profit, as it's scheaper to simply dig up more resources than recycle those already present. It's a different story in classless society, since the priority will be resource maximisation, IE getting the most out of what we have for the benefit of all. this still generates air pollution, but uses less resources, so it's still better even though it sitll pollutes. It's unfortunate but at least we won't run out of resources.
Having said that, with the profit motive gone, it will be easier to 'scrub' airborne emissions and to store and reuse toxic chemicals, so while the amount of pollution remains the same, it has less of an effect because it is contained.

[encephalon]

yeah, I understand that; I'm talking about recycling in a contemporary context. I think it's an honorable idea, and environmental conservatism in that sense should be pursued, but I don't see how recycling as we have it does any good whatsoever; the illusion that it does good, in fact, seems to causer harm, as people think it's effective and thus don't consider anything else.

I've gotten so much shit for even bringing recycling into question from a lot of people.