I think recycling is a hoax.  I think it was an idea created to please the environmentalists who kept complaining about waste and the hurting of animals.  It's a good idea, but I have doubts about its efficacy. 

I have a recycling can in my cubicle.  It says I can recycle "white letterhead, white typing paper, white photocopy, white memos, white computer" but not "colored paper, carbon paper, news and mags, glossy paper, food wrappers, fax paper".  [I can recycle white paper and white computers?  Awesome!  Nya!]  Who actually follows these rules?  Does anybody actually not put newspapers and colored paper in the recycling bin?  And what exactly is fax paper?  Isn't it the same as regular paper? 

My question is this:  If there are lots of people like me who don't follow recycling rules to the T, is there someone at the recycling center who catches this?  Are there people who sort through my recycling and take out all the stuff that's not recyclable?  If so, how many people do this, and how much money are we paying them?  I don't mean to sound like a jerk (that's hard to believe), but it sounds like recycling costs more money than it saves.  I know that's not the point of it, but it just kind of seems like a money pit.  There, I said it. 

And what about bottles and cans from my house?  Do I have to clean out the peanut butter jar before I put it in the recycling?  If not, is there someone at the recycling center who does this?  I don't envy that person.  Cleaning old food out of cans and bottles is disgusting.  If no one does this, is there old peanut butter in recycled plastic and glass?  If so, doesn't anyone think that's kind of gross?