COMMENTARY: Bad recycling math is driving packaging policy

By Michael Graham InsideSources.com July 25, 2026 - 9:00 pm “Rinsing out tuna cans and tying up newspapers may make you feel virtuous, but it’s a waste of time and money, a waste of human and natural resources.” So said New York Times science writer John Tierney in his now-legendary 1996 article “Recycling Is Garbage.” Tierney was angry over Americans being misled about what really happened when they took the time and expense to recycle. Much of their effort didn’t reduce carbon emissions or save any trees. Thirty years later, the data continue to prove Tierney right. And yet, every day, millions of Americans flatten Amazon boxes, place them in curbside recycling bins, and assume they’re helping save the world. That’s because the paper industry’s largest trade association promoted cardboar