Indeed, there has long been a strand of environmentalism that treats nature as divine. Few Americans would go so far, of course, but many of them worship in their own way. The media inflamed people's fears of mounting piles of garbage. Politicians seeking to win votes enacted a spate of laws and regulations to encourage and often mandate recycling. But while politics did help create an industry, it did not generate the moral fervor behind it.
Many people see recycling as their way to help preserve the planet.
For some, it may be the environmental equivalent of serving time in Purgatory, attempting to atone for the materialist excesses of a consumer society. It allows one to feel good about oneself even while enjoying every modern convenience. This moral fervor comes at a price. But then, it has long been known that most trash isn't worth reusing, recycling programs usually lose money, and landfills offer a safe disposal method. His points were many.