The basic premise is that (in Sweden) the uncounted cost of cleaning and sorting waste and driving to dispose of it is greater than the savings due to recycling. It would have been nice to see at least an order-of-magnitude calculation estimating the uncounted cost. If the cost is so obviously greater than the savings of recycling, then a simple estimation should be sufficient.
The author is probably right, but some concrete numbers would go a long way to supporting his argument.
I remember when I was a kid that factories were paying for old paper and old glass. A whole generation made their pocket money that way. If it was worth something back then I would expect it to be worth something today.
I don't know if he is right. But I doubt that a completely manual sorting and cleaning process is the most efficient we can do. Sorting and cleaning waste industrially, using the right tools for the job, has to be better.
Also, there are numerous studies showing how much more efficient public transport is compared to people using their own cars. Now they make people drive waste bags around in their own cars. That has got to be a very bad idea.
The author is probably right, but some concrete numbers would go a long way to supporting his argument.