My take: Landfills should be utilized much less for municipal waste, but doing this would require much better waste separation. It's probably better to burn o

My take: Landfills should be utilized much less for municipal waste, but doing this would require much better waste separation. It's probably better to burn or recycle things that don't decompose readily, such as plastic. Landfilling plastics just takes up a lot of space for a long time. Recycling or burning plastic also reduces litter. Recycling paper doesn't matter as much, since it is very biodegradable. I suspect that recycling paper leads to energy savings in the pulp & paper industry. Aluminum is one of the best candidates for recycling as it is very efficient and cuts down on the need for aluminum ore. Steel is somewhat less efficient. Organics should always be composted if possible.