Re: [GreenYes] reply on the cost of landfilling v. recycling

[muna@iafrica.com]

On 21 Feb 2002 at 9:32, Blair Pollock wrote:

>  If we were able to capture

> some of the + externalities from use of recyclables such as reduced

> resource inputs to make products and put a value on those (how much is

> a pound of avoided air pollutants worth?) then costs would generally

> be in the same ballpark. We should not make spurious claims for the

> immediate economic benefits of recycling without being able to account

> for job creation and + environmental externalities in the calculation.

> Let's not oversell recycling. Now waste reduction on the other hand

> almost always beats the cost of landfilling, etc.

This is the key to succesfully arguing the pro-environment case - if proper Life Cycle Analyses were carried out, then the "greener" option would inevitably win hands down... from a pure economics point of view , of course - the health, moral and philosophical issues are something else altogether..maybe some of the below (that we use to calculate externalities for our nukes campaign) may be of use...

CO2                            $10 to  $20 per ton     

SO2                            $150 / TON (Minnesota)to $4 486 / TON (California)     Nox                             $ 850 / TON (Minnesota)to    $ 9 120 / TON (California)        Particulates                 $1 274 / TON (Minnesota)to$4 608 / TON ( California)

Carbon Monoxide (Approx. $1000 / Ton)

Volatile Organic Compounds (Between $1000 and $4000 / Ton)     

Maybe the figures will help us understand the kinds of impacts externalities will have on goods and processes...

kind regards

Muna