(CNN) -- In a controversial article entitled "Recycling is Garbage," New York Times Magazine journalist John Tierney argued that recycling was only benefiting a select group of politicians, environmental activists and waste handling companies while creating more harm to the environment by increasing energy consumption and pollution.
He wrote, "Rinsing out tuna cans and tying up newspapers may make you feel virtuous, but recycling could be America's most wasteful activity."
The article, published in 1996, continues to divide opinion on mandatory recycling in local communities.