> Sorting is expensive. Collecting cans is trivial. Collecting 10 cans is not really trivial. And even with 10 different cans, the result still needs to be fur

> Sorting is expensive. Collecting cans is trivial. Collecting 10 cans is not really trivial. And even with 10 different cans, the result still needs to be further sorted (there are 20 or 30 types of recyclable plastic alone). Glass needs to be sorted into 4-5 different colors. Paper needs to be sorted into 4-5 different qualities. Industrial waste sorting certainly is expensive -- due to capital expenditure, not ongoing costs -- but it's needed in every recycling solution. The problem with expecting the public to sort, is that humans are less good at sorting than (well-designed) machines and relying on humans sorting reducing the percentage of recyclable material that is actually recycled. There are serious arguments that all general waste should be machine sorted since it's the only way to maintain maximum levels of recycling.