Aside from a few select product categories, recycling IS a scam.

E.g.: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/17/plastic-...

Recycling mostly means "sent to landfills in the third world":

https://earth.org/waste-colonialism-a-brief-history-of-dumpi...

https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2023/03/rich-countri...

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/opinion/trash-recycling-g...