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

By Frank Ackerman

Press, Washington, DC, 1997
Hardcover: $35.00; Paperback: $19.95, 210 pages

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Ackerman’s thoughtful, sure-to-be-controversial study lifts the debate over the merits of recycling to a new level . . .”
— PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY

“Remarkably sober, readable, and revealing. Essential for those connected to waste management. The insights won’t please either pro- or anti-recyclers, but [this book] provides much-needed level-headed perspective.” — THE GREEN BUSINESS LETTER

In WHY DO WE RECYCLE? Ackerman examines the arguments for and against recycling and explains why the reasons for recycling are more than a simple matter of dollars and cents. While critics of recycling tend to minimize or ignore its widespread environmental benefits, Ackerman makes a strong case for including social issues, future resource needs, and noneconomic values in the recycling equation.

Table of Contents:

  1. Beyond the Trash Can
    2. Getting the Prices Wrong
    3. More than the Market
    4. A Truck is a Terrible Thing to Waste
    5. Drink Boxes, Styrofoam, and PVC
    6. The Dot Heard Around the World
    7. Bottle Bills, Litter, and the Cost of Convenience
    8. Organic Waste and the Virtue of Inaction
    9. The Hidden Utility
    10. Material Use and Sustainable Affluence