Plastic and glass recycling is often a sham, because both things are usually of little value -- sometimes, even of negative value.
A pile of plastic is mostly just a liability, with a strong likelihood of it ultimately being dumped or landfilled somewhere in the world.
But metal recycling is real. Unlike plastic and glass, metal has positive value. There is an entire profitable industry that exists to recycle metal -- including appliances. We've been recycling metals for as long as we have mined their ores from the Earth.
A pile of washing machines is an asset. It has real value. It doesn't get landfilled or dumped -- it gets sold.
A pile of plastic is mostly just a liability, with a strong likelihood of it ultimately being dumped or landfilled somewhere in the world.
But metal recycling is real. Unlike plastic and glass, metal has positive value. There is an entire profitable industry that exists to recycle metal -- including appliances. We've been recycling metals for as long as we have mined their ores from the Earth.
A pile of washing machines is an asset. It has real value. It doesn't get landfilled or dumped -- it gets sold.