by Jeff Bailey

About the author: Jeff Bailey is a staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal daily newspaper.

Remember the garbage barge? Plying coastal waters in 1987 without any place to dump its unsightly cargo, it startled the nation into getting serious about recycling household trash.

Tens of millions of Americans now make a daily ritual of sorting their garbage for collection by curbside-recycling programs, which cover one-third of U.S. households. Environmental groups, government and industry alike lend their support. And why not? Residential recycling—up tenfold since 1987—is widely credited with conserving dwindling garbage-dump space, saving money and protecting the environment.

Besides, it makes people feel good. For many, a little trash sorting has become a form of penance to acknowledge that the values of our high-consumption society don’t always nurture the soul. “People...