Recovered materials have already been refined and processed once, so manufacturing the second time around is usually much cleaner and less energy-intensive than the first. Detailed analysis shows that these environmental benefits of recycling far outweigh any additional environmental burdens resulting from the collection, processing, and transport of recyclable materials in curbside recycling programs (Denison and Ruston, 1996). Deforestation is one of the most critical problems faced in our society today. Trees play an important role in Earth's natural cycles where it captures carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide, and release oxygen. Trees also help prevent flooding and help control soil erosion. Without recycling efforts, depletion of forests will ultimately cause an ecological imbalance. The damage to the Amazon Rainforest is a prime example of this environmental catastrophe. On the other hand, it will never be possible or economical to recycle all paper and board. Many products become badly soiled in normal use and could represent a potential health hazard if reclaimed. Recyclable paper and board has to be kept clean and separate from other waste materials. Furthermore, such collection is unfortunately not always in step with consumption, putting surpluses of recyclable material on the world market at very low prices (Denison and Ruston, 1996). This provides cheap raw materials for paper and board mills, but can seriously undermine existing waste paper recovery systems, sometimes causing collections to stop. It is clear that paper recycling can only be made to work if collection and consumption can be coordinated.

             Recycling metals minimizes the need for mining new minerals and decreases damage to wilderness. As raw materials become scarcer, their price will rise, leading to a search for substitutes, including recycled materials (Webb, 1985). Therefore, the rate of recycling may be tied to the scarcity of raw materials or a rise in energy costs.