So does the mix of materials diverted. So does the presence and type of yard waste program. Finally, costs vary in operational efficiency. Of course, the press to expand programs to include less valuable, more contaminated waste could reverse these cost-reduction trends. Nor is assessing benefits of mandated waste diversion a simple calculation.
Several caveats are worth noting.
First, what makes sense from an environmental standpoint varies by material and circumstance. But, while recycling can result in net material savings, its utility as a dematerializer varies by material and is linked to several key product attributes. Rather, the appropriate net benefit assessment must compare environmental impacts from virgin material use, its equivalent recycled counterpart, and any other substitute materials that could replace both the virgin and recycled product in question. This evolution over time has substantially reduced the amount of material consumed relative to what would have been consumed with traditional materials, whether they are recycled or not. Any conversion of waste into feedstock for some new use displaces consumption of virgin material.