The message about recycling is so positive that it becomes an incentive to consider that recyclable waste is not really waste.

It’s not that recycling is bad. It’s certainly better for the environment than landfilling or burning unsorted trash. But there’s a growing worry among environmentalists that it could be promoting additional consumption — and additional waste.

If people believe they can buy aluminum coffee capsules, plastic water bottles or even new cars, expecting that everything will be recycled and reused, it allows them to consume with a clean conscience.