It also supplies valuable raw materials to industry, creates jobs and stimulates the development of greener technologies. On a per-ton basis, for every job created at a landfill, recycling sustains 10 more jobs just through sorting materials. The largest payoff in the recycling loop is making new products from the old. Some recycling-based manufacturers sustain 60 times more jobs than do landfills. Virginia counties should demand higher standards for improving their quality of life.
Sustainable recycling is a win-win proposition over dangerous landfills.
Charles County City should find a better way to finance schools than compromising its residents' health. Our goal should be a zero-waste economy or darn close to it. Brenda A. Platt is director of materials recovery for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.