Looking at it another way, the value of plastic and wood/paper comes from the molecular structures. The value of steel, aluminum, lead (from lead acid batteries

Looking at it another way, the value of plastic and wood/paper comes from the molecular structures. The value of steel, aluminum, lead (from lead acid batteries), and in future lithium/nickle/cobalt (from LiIon batteries) comes from the raw elements. The latter tend to be economically recyclable, the former do not.