I’m assuming recycling (like most industrial processes), comes with its own carbon footprint / pollution overhead / energy consumption / etc., so why is it better to process these materials instead of letting them turn back into dirt in a landfill?
In: Technology
Nothing degrades in a landfill, over a reasonable time. It is lined with giant multi-layer pads (rather like disposable diapers) to keep from leaching into the soil, and there’s not enough oxygen to break stuff down.
If it DID break down, then it would still be confined by the barrier and contaminated by the rest of the landfill material, such as heavy metals.
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