Just Bury Your Trash
This article challenges the conventional wisdom that recycling is always superior to landfilling. It argues that for many materials, the energy costs of recycling outweigh the environmental benefits compared to modern, well-managed landfills.
Why it matters
It encourages a more nuanced approach to waste management policy by highlighting the hidden energy costs of 'green' alternatives.
Alex Chalmers , Rob Wiblin , and Works in Progress Sep 02, 2026 44 4 4 Share This piece is featured in Issue 25 of Works in Progress. Subscribe today to get an issue every two months delivered straight to your door.
Alex Chalmers and Rob Wiblin explain why recycling isn’t quite what it seems.
Every child is taught that landfill is the worst place our trash can end up. It is the sad consequence of a failure to recycle: a mountain of waste leaking chemicals and smells, blighting the land forever.
What if that picture is wrong? What if landfill, properly done, is actually one of the cleanest, cheapest, and most environmentally sensible things we can do with our waste? It turns out that for much of what we throw away, the humble landfill beats the recycling bin.
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