title: Scientists agree: Recycling is bad for the environment.
domain: cnn.com
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publish_date: 03-14-2019
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(CNN) — Earth has more plastic than earthworms. That's according to two different research studies,
which together find that unnecessary recycling consumes billions of tons of the world's natural
resources each year. In an article published Monday in Environmental Science & Technology , David
Wagenseller of Michigan State University calls for a drastic overhaul of the world's recycling
system. Related content Surrounded by garbage? 3 tips to do something about it While the typical
mentality of taxpayers who believe it's necessary to ensure that all our household plastic bags are
recycled might see this argument as difficult to swallow, Wagenseller's research has shown that the
key to reversing the problem may be all within our control. According to Wagenseller's analysis of
US consumer recycling data, Americans can increase the amount of paper, plastics and metals
recycling that is acceptable to the government by diverting a third of all recyclable items to
commercial facilities. His findings indicate that the national economic recovery would begin to
outweigh the environmental costs of recycling if US consumers were more efficient with their
recyclables. He said that the current and future costs for these extra plastic bags, glass bottles
and metal plates fall on manufacturers and consumers; adding that plants and sources for recycled
material are often the same.