Lynn Scarlett

Lynn Scarlett is executive director and a senior fellow of the Reason Public Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization specializing in environmental policy. In the following viewpoint, she argues that recycling programs cannot be equated with environmental progress because some materials in garbage do not lend themselves to being recycled. Efforts to mandate the use of recycled materials in manufacturing may result in more garbage being produced by stifling innovations in using less materials in making and packaging goods, she concludes.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What three things does Scarlett say are required for successful recycling"
2. How has the use of plastic reduced the total volume of garbage being produced, according to the author"
3. What three outcomes does Scarlett believe can result from efforts to...