John Tierney

John Tierney argues in the following viewpoint that recycling waste such as glass, plastic, and paper costs more than it saves in time, money, energy, and pollution. Costs associated with recycling exceed what cities can make on selling the recyclable materials, he maintains. Furthermore, Tierney asserts, there is no shortage of landfill space, so disposing of waste in a landfill is usually cheaper than recycling it in most parts of the country. Moreover, many recycling practices that are meant to help the environment are actually harmful, he contends. Tierney is a staff writer for the New York Times Magazine.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What are some of the factors that must be considered when determining how much recycling costs a city, in Tierney’s opinion?
2. What is recycling’s only benefit, according...