Is recycling good??

Most everyone we talk to agrees that recycling is great. Yet some building professionals don't always agree. Who is right?

The arguments against do have some validity. I read a post today where people were pointing out that recycling carpet pad (plastic) into new carpet pad means the chemicals associated with the older, potentially more noxious pad is brought into the newer, less problematic formulation. And this then compromises indoor air quality which can be a serious issue especially for those people with immune system sensitivities.

But if old pad can't be recycled into new and there are no other viable markets, is it better to ship all this material to landfills? Doesn't that impose a much more significant cost? Or is there a middle ground here where recycling can continue to exist as a great outcome with little to no negative effect? We know there is.

Old carpet pad can and should continue to be recycled into new product but should be labeled as having the recycled content and noting that such content may be a hazard to some users. There also should be pad offered to the market that offers an alternative therefore providing a true choice to consumers. A win win.

Other materials have similar tradeoffs but we think there is never a good argument against recycling. What do you think?