by Lawrence Reed

About the author: Lawrence Reed, an economist, is president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a free market research and educational organization in Midland, Michigan.

If there’s a buzzword in the business of managing America’s solid waste problem, surely it is “recycling.” At times the term seems to have taken on an almost religious meaning, with the faithful assuming that “disposable” is bad and “recycling” is good by definition.

There’s nothing wrong with recycling when it’s approached from a perspective of sound economics, good science, and voluntary cooperation. Too often, it’s promoted as an end in itself without regard to whether it’s worth the time and expense.

Recently, a speaker on this subject told my local Rotary Club that we...