With only a 34% recycling rate, the United States' recycling efforts are almost laughable when compared to countries like Germany, which recycle 65% of all their waste. Since a country's ability to efficiently recycle is enabled or inhibited by its economic, social, and political opportunities. This means it is important to contextualize a country (or individual's) circumstances before casting judgment.
That being said, it might also be useful to see what countries with the highest recycling rates are doing right. What appears to be happening, is that countries, like Germany, are emphasizing other forms of sustainability above recycling.
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| Image by Jordan Johnson |
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to dissuade anyone from their recycling efforts. Recycling is a necessary part of sustainable living. It should not, however, be seen as the main focus or priority of sustainability.
Last weekend, I visited my local recycler. I was actually really excited to finally have some hands on experience with recycling to share with you here.
To be honest, I've read a lot about waste. How much of it ends up in our landfills and its impact on carbon and methane emissions. Don't get me wrong, I haven't always been knowledgable about waste.
Growing up, my family relied on what I now know is called a "single-stream" recycling system. In short, this means all of your recyclables go into a single bin. Usually our bin was caked with layers of sticky unidentifiable substances and reeked as if something had died in it.
Unfortunately, over the years I began to see recycling as something dirty and unpleasant. It never occurred to me that by simply rinsing my recyclables the majority of odors and grime could be prevented.
Lately, I've put a heavy emphasis on recycling in my life. So much so that I've had friends and family asking me if *insert item here* is recyclable. This doesn't bother me though. I'd like to help curb waste in whatever way I can. Whether that means changing my own habits, or trying to help others do the same.
Today, I hope to save you the trouble of making the same mistakes that I have. One of the more recent being the emphasis I've put on recycling. Yes, recycling is important. But its just a bandaid. This is why the EPA, academics, and other advocates for eco-friendly practices will often quote the Waste Hierarchy or the Five R's: refuse, reduce, reuse/repurpose, recycle, then rot.
Our Recycling System is Flawed
Two weekends ago, when I was doing my initial research on recycling, I learned that my local Waste Management (WM) only recycles paper. All the plastics and glass they receive goes straight to landfill. This is quite concerning as they market themselves as a single-stream recycler, leading many of their customers to believe they're recycling more than they really are.
I'm not sure if this is true of all WM facilities or just my local one. However, statements from the company CEO give the impression of a struggling, if not failing, industry.
I'm not sure if this is true of all WM facilities or just my local one. However, statements from the company CEO give the impression of a struggling, if not failing, industry.
Some customers of WM have also found them mixing recyclables with general trash.
Its not just a matter of what is and isn't being recycled. With only 34% of our waste being recycled, we shouldn't be surprised by this kind of news.
If you want to learn more about the single and dual stream recycling this is a good source.
Dumb Shit You Can't Recycle*
In hindsight, it was probably naive of me to believe that I could bring a random assortment of items to the recycling center, walk away with a couple of bucks, and call it a day. The issue is so much more complicated than that.
- an almond milk carton
- a vodka bottle**
- paper coffee cups
- coffee cup lids
- nutrition drink bottles
- any paper products
*In a dual-stream system
**I believe this is because the bottle didn't have a CA-CRV sticker
**I believe this is because the bottle didn't have a CA-CRV sticker
Why the 5 R's?
Refuse, reduce, reuse/repurpose, recycle, and rot
Recycling is not the answer to all of our problems. It is not a holy grail. When we continue to purchase plastic or single-use products we continue to produce waste that will inevitably find its way into landfills, or even worse, our oceans.
Does your home feel cluttered? Do you ever feel like you buy things and never use them? Consider reducing what you have. Those items taking up space in your home or garage? Donate them. Minimalists have argued that the clutter in our lives is making us unhappy.
Before you throw your items into the recycling bin, brainstorm what reusable item you could replace it with and even how you might repurpose this item. For example, I like to repurpose some of my wine bottles as vases. Although, a more committed drinker might consider looking into a reusable wine bottle.
What can't be reused or repurposed should be recycled. What can't be recycled should be composted (i.e. rot).
One of the problems of relying heavily on recycling is that the system is not reliable. While something might technically be recyclable, recyclers may not accept it. This can be either because its expensive to recycle or results in a low-quality end-product.
How Recycling Can Be Abused
When I first pulled up to Tokay Recycling, I saw half a dozen people pulling several 50 gallon drums from their cars to the building. Most of these drums were filled with plastic water bottles or soda cans.
At first, I felt self conscious with the two armfuls worth of miscellaneous materials I had. Not only did I not have a container for my recyclables, but I brought a much wider variety of materials than anyone else.
Usually, when I'm feeling uncomfortable, I try to make conversation with people and turn the reason for my discomfort into a learning opportunity. Luckily, the woman behind me in line had five 50 gallon drums and seemed to know what she was doing.
After talking to her for a bit, I learned that her family would save their water bottles and cans for an entire year before turning them in for refund. Over the course of a year, their family of three had collected 150 gallons worth of plastic bottles. That's 50 gallons per-person.
Something about this picture seemed wrong to me. I wasn't excited by the amounts that were being recycled, rather I was concerned. Although, I couldn't figure out why that was.
While writing this article, I began to wonder if our emphasis on recycling was increasing the US's rates of consumption and waste creation. What if this woman and her family (consciously or otherwise) bought more plastic water bottles than they normally would have because of the refund?
Prior to the late 1980s, the United States only recycled 10% of its waste. Now, the US recycles 34% of its waste. However, at the same time the US has seen a 60% increase in waste. While population growth is a likely factor in this increase, is it possible that in emphasizing recycling, as a society, that we become less aware of the impact of our consumption?
According to a study, conducted by the Boston University, recycling elicits positive feelings and emotions from people. The opposite is true for people who trash their waste. Researchers found that these positive feelings had a tendency to lead to less sustainable choices. For example, consumers were found to be more likely to use multiple cups for taste-testing when a recycling bin was present than than they were with a trash can.
This is likely because there is an implication that recycling will offset the waste. Of course, this can only be true if we maintain or reduce the amount of waste we produce.
What do you think? Does recycling lead us to use more? Leave me your thoughts in the comments!
At first, I felt self conscious with the two armfuls worth of miscellaneous materials I had. Not only did I not have a container for my recyclables, but I brought a much wider variety of materials than anyone else.
Usually, when I'm feeling uncomfortable, I try to make conversation with people and turn the reason for my discomfort into a learning opportunity. Luckily, the woman behind me in line had five 50 gallon drums and seemed to know what she was doing.
After talking to her for a bit, I learned that her family would save their water bottles and cans for an entire year before turning them in for refund. Over the course of a year, their family of three had collected 150 gallons worth of plastic bottles. That's 50 gallons per-person.
Something about this picture seemed wrong to me. I wasn't excited by the amounts that were being recycled, rather I was concerned. Although, I couldn't figure out why that was.
While writing this article, I began to wonder if our emphasis on recycling was increasing the US's rates of consumption and waste creation. What if this woman and her family (consciously or otherwise) bought more plastic water bottles than they normally would have because of the refund?
Prior to the late 1980s, the United States only recycled 10% of its waste. Now, the US recycles 34% of its waste. However, at the same time the US has seen a 60% increase in waste. While population growth is a likely factor in this increase, is it possible that in emphasizing recycling, as a society, that we become less aware of the impact of our consumption?
According to a study, conducted by the Boston University, recycling elicits positive feelings and emotions from people. The opposite is true for people who trash their waste. Researchers found that these positive feelings had a tendency to lead to less sustainable choices. For example, consumers were found to be more likely to use multiple cups for taste-testing when a recycling bin was present than than they were with a trash can.
This is likely because there is an implication that recycling will offset the waste. Of course, this can only be true if we maintain or reduce the amount of waste we produce.
What do you think? Does recycling lead us to use more? Leave me your thoughts in the comments!
Fifty gallons of plastic bottles and soda cans per person each year is pretty terrifying!
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