Recycling is a money saver and an energy saver. This is true in the case of all recycling markets that are well developed. However, recycling is just one aspect of the overall hierarchy of energy and material savings. When looked at as a larger, overall picture, the best option is to reduce the consumption of these goods.
Prevention of waste is the least expensive option, whether that takes the form of not buying things such as bottled water or minimization in consumption by choosing items that inherently do not create waste. Reusing items and re-purposing items is the next best course of action, often leading to the creating of new wealth in the form of up-cycled items.
Recycling and energy recovery, such as tapping the methane reserves of landfills are the next best options. Energy is expended, but at a much higher rate of savings when compared to disposal, which ranks as the most wasteful type of use.
