The most interesting aspect of this is that 77% of Americans do! To me that seems high, it would be interesting to review the survey......many people are ashamed that they don't always recycle or have recycled a handfull of times and answer "yes".

I know I am not alone here when I say that jumping out and claiming:
"Recycling materials can take as little as 5 percent of the energy you'd wind up expending if you produced them from virgin sources, as is the case with aluminum, which means you not only conserve already-limited resources, but you also curtail potential atmosphere-warming carbon emissions—95 percent, in some cases."
is VERY misinforming. Using words like "can take as little as" and "as much as" is like saying Americans can make as much as 100 million dollars a year and drink as much as 20 beers in one sitting, which is true also. Yes, recycling Aluminum, other metals, and glass saves alot of energy and puts these "limited" resources back into the system which is great and I agree 100% with the statement when said with them.

From my understanding plastics and textiles are another story, once created from "virgin" materials they are at their peak strength and toughness levels when they are recycled they typically have to mixed in with new plastics + the energy and resources spent in sorting them, the energy taken to break appart the complex molecules (de-polymerization), seperation of the dyes, fillers, etc. usually (from my understanding) pushes them into end-life products (usually only HDPE and PET plastics): building materials, "fluff", downgraded packing materials, liners, trash cans (typically 20-30% recycled material max), etc. where most can longer be recycled, hence END-LIFE. I believe that a smaller % actually make it back around to be becoming packaging or another component that can be recycled, but the process requires further energy input.

Yes, Yes recycle all you can, but always think that not purchasing that bottled water or soda is still the best statement. As for packaging, PLA's are the future.......if we can keep the automotive companies from claiming crops for biofuels. Renewable electricity from wind and solar sources is the future of mass transportation.....not biofuels (in my mind).

I completely disagree with these figures.

I live in the 15th largest city in the US (which is in the midwest), and recycling is not provided with standard trash pick-up. You'd have to request it and pay extra for it. Some of the suburbs recycle, but I live in a neighborhood with no city trash pick-up, so we already are paying for our own trash removal, and neither companies that service this area offer recycling. I'm sure this is the same way in many parts of the US. I'd hardly say that 70% of us recycle here... maybe 40-50%.

It is very unrealistic to say that 77% of people in US recycle.
It would be really good if that is correct, but anyone realistic can say everyday that it isn't so.

I don't know ANYONE that doesn't recycle these days. (west coast)

Outside of not having recycling available, the excuses listed in the article are rather weak. I think they could all be summed with "I'm just too lazy or ignorant to understand the benefit."

My friend (well not friend, person I know & can contact) Sammy does not recycle anything. & barely cares about the environment. He's basically a dick. He says that if only a little people do something it doesn't matter or change anything. See how f**ked up he is. He says cars are the best & s**t. He also littered in a park. In Flushing Meadows Park (Queens' version of Central Park) When there was a trashcan 2 feet away from him. & he was on a bike. & he just threw that plastic bottle on the ground. He said who cares IT'S ONLY ONE BOTTLE. So he probably does not recycle because in his point of view one thing/person doesn't make a difference.

I'd like to think that 77% do recycle, but I too find it hard to believe. And I'd be willing to bet they don't recycle all of the time, and they probably don't recycle as many things as they could. Where I live you can only recycle glass by taking it to specified locations in the city (which are all pretty convenient), but people think I'm crazy for taking the extra 2 minute to do it while I'm on my way past. I also know people who claim to recycle, but while at work will throw thier empty water bottle in the trash. If you're comitted to recycling you'll take that bottle home with you to a place where it can be recycled- or really you never would have bought it.
I think we need to be reminded of the three Rs in order:
Reduce- don't buy stuf with excessive packaging!
Re-use- many things can be re-used- especially plastic!
Recycle- an important step but the last one you should take!

Get on your bike sometime and follow the recycling truck around. It is a HUGE truck. Think about the relative benefit of stopping and restarting that big truck to pick up 10 aluminum cans and an empty bottle of laundry soap.

Then go to the recycling center and look at the size of the building. Look at the equipment it runs for sorting and the like. Think about the precious water used to clean all of the containers. Much of the recycling center is probably air conditioned. Count the number of employees. Each employee probably had to drive to the center from somewhere.

If you add it all up, I think you will find that the overall effect on the environment is a big negative.

As to the statistics, everyone is well advised to read "How To Lie With Statistics" (http://tinyurl.com/3dn7ze) or something similar. The environmental movement and the government use shoddy statistics all the time.

I love how people are just disagreeing with figures because they live in podunk and don't know anyone who recycles. I guess they're the 23%.

I'm a rabid recycler--and this number seems way to high to me, too...

I live in a 7-unit apartment building (not that my building is statistically representative), and only 3 of the tenants recycle with any regularity. And the 4 that don't? They're so lazy, they put their trash in the dumpster of the business next door--because our dumpster is locked and theirs isn't!

Speaking of statistics: The last time I spoke to our recycling center, one of the High Mucky-mucks there told me that 25 to 30% of everything in the trash-only curbside barrels could be recycled--and 20 to 30% of everything in the recycling barrels shouldn't be...

If you add it all up, I think you will find that the overall effect on the environment is a big negative.

Despite all sorts of lifecycle analyses done by reputable scientists subject to peer review who conclude otherwise.

Bashing recycling on an environmental website. You're a real authentic treehugger there.

Anonymous said: "I love how people are just disagreeing with figures because they live in podunk and don't know anyone who recycles. I guess they're the 23%."

I think this comment was directed towards me, so I'm responding as such. Like I said in my original comment, I don't live in podunk. I live in the 15th largest city in the US, which has a metro population of over a million people. I'm sure my city is not totally uncommon in its lack of recycling practices, which is why I disagree with the figure that 77% of Americans recycle.

Side thought: I wonder if this 77% includes people claiming to recycle when all they do is return soda cans for deposits (like some states do).

Why would I be talking to you when I said podunk when you clearly said you lived in a big city? I wasn't singling anyone out. :)

For every podunk town or big city that has few people who recycle, there are places where most people do, like some more progressive cities.

It's an average, not some number anyone is likely to actually see in their city. That's how averages work. Like the old 2.5 kids thing. Ever see anyone with 2.5 kids?

If so many people disagree and think it's wrong because of their own limited experience (and all our experience is limited), maybe they should conduct some studies. I'm sure that there are people who think the number is low.

And what people do in states with take-backs and deposits is still recycling. Those states probably have better recycling numbers than those that don't.

I think one of the anonymous posters made the most important point in that the responders probably don't recycle all of the time. The question should have been "Do you recycle on a regular basis?" with an indication of what "regular" entails.

Sadly in the UK recycling on a larger scale is only beginning. You'd think for such a small country with such limited space they would've jumped on the recycling bandwagon a long time ago. Most offices don't recycle and business parks haven't built in facilities nor do city councils provide the service to businesses. In the city I live in they only recycled 19% of waste in 2005/06 and 24% in 2006/07 and they think this is great! It makes me so sad to see the kerbside recycling bins filled with all sorts of waste because people don't even understand what recycling is.