Voters are right: recycling is more important for the environment than mandating EVs.
Grist (5/23/23) reports: "Recycling was once all the rage. Reduce, reuse, recycle! We recited it like a mantra. To toss our cans and bottles into the blue bin was to take on personal environmental responsibility; it meant we care. However, of late, local governments once responsible for maintaining curbside recycling services have slowly pulled back, saying that the math simply doesn’t add up. A study from the University of Florida suggests, however, that the practice is still worth our while, and, in fact, can help small municipalities reach their climate goals. Communities have increasingly reduced their acceptance of glass and aluminum, and some have eliminated curbside pickup altogether amid spiraling costs. Conscientious individuals still committed to the vision find themselves toting their bottles and boxes to recycling centers on their own time....While recycling creates fewer greenhouse gasses, it’s heavier on other pollutants. Another study, published earlier this month in the Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, found that plastics recycling in particular is a source of microplastics, which are alarmingly present throughout our water and air, even in the deepest levels of the ocean, and are hazardous to public health. Recycled plastic has also been found to contain highly toxic chemicals. Previous research suggests these issues are best remedied earlier in production, by reducing manufacture of certain types of plastic products."
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