Well, quite obviously DV, recylcling's not for the greater good if you use up more resources driving etc, but as a concept properly organised and efficient recycling is for the greater good because it has less impact on the environment, less landfill, less hazardous waste (think the current anti-plastic bag campaign) and so on.
Where facilities to recycle exist without any great inconvenience to an individual, for example, kerbside collections of specific categories of rubbish, then someone who is too damned lazy to sort out their rubbish is being bloody-minded and selfish, because their decision not to recycle means that there'll be more shite in landfill and so on.
I wouldn't describe myself personally as a "fanatic" far from it, nor "holier than thou" ...... I just feel that we (as in society as a whole) should try to do our individual bits wherever possible in helping to preserve our planet for future generations, as well as make it as pleasant a place as possible for all of us here now. What's so wrong with that ?
There's a world of difference between a pensioner (the 1st example off the top of my head) who might find recycling practically and/or physically difficult to manage and an able-bodied family with lots of space shrugging their shoulders and acting like it's nothing to do with them. IMO, that's just bloody selfish.