Should You Be Recycling Plastics at All?
We recently wrote about the dangers of recycling certain products that may not be recyclable, but a new (and mostly gloomy) Quartz report this week goes further, pointing out that the entire recycling system has serious flaws, especially when it comes to plastics.
In her report, writer Zoe Schlanger describes the problems that make plastic recycling especially difficult. First, the production of new plastic is cheaper than recycling it. Consequently, there is simply no demand for it, as companies often choose new plastic instead of including recycled plastic because of its price. In their eyes and in the eyes of plastic manufacturers, pure plastic will almost always prove to be more valuable to their bottom line, which means we can expect a lot more new plastic production. (Even worse, most of the plastics produced have a much shorter lifespan than other recyclable materials such as aluminum and glass, as they cannot be recycled over and over again as easily without sacrificing quality.)
And even if you choose to recycle, you can not always guarantee that the blue bucket you throw in will actually be recycled. For example, a recent CNN article showed that dozens of illegal waste recycling companies in Malaysia dispose of our recyclables or otherwise incinerate them despite the good intentions of consumers.
“In short, plastic recycling is a myth, and it has always been,” Schlanger writes. But does this mean that you have to give up all hope and give up plastic recycling for good? No, at least not yet. And honestly, there is no single solution to the problem, although, as Quartz points out, it can be argued that the companies that use or manufacture plastic are at least partially to blame. ( B everage companies , for example, are largely opposed to “bottle bills,” which would allow consumers to discard used bottles for recycling — you guessed it — for financial reasons.)
If you’re wondering why you should keep recycling plastic, first, there is an obvious logic behind it; if we collectively decide to stop recycling all plastic, much more will end up in our landfills, which is probably the worst-case scenario. From there, plastic will sit for generations, pollute our waterways or burn, which is not the best option for our environment. Instead, you should use this dark news as a reminder to carefully consider the rules of your recycling program and, above all, consider your consumption habits.
Since the Chinese ban on recyclable imports, cities everywhere are ditching certain plastic items from their sidewalk pickup programs (which is also not good news). You should search the Internet for your city and see if yours has suffered. By doing this, at the very least, you can prevent possible contamination of your actual recyclable materials and more recyclable materials that will inevitably end up in landfills. If your local program does not accept your particular item, be sure to check the Earth 911 search locator for other possible drop-off locations.
The next thing you can do is relatively simple, although easier said than done. Most of the primary plastic is made specifically for single-use or limited-use products, Schlanger notes. In fact, packaging accounts for 40 percent of all plastic produced, a huge category that includes everything from standard plastic bottles to packaging.
Changing your personal habits may not have a widespread impact on our environment, but if we collectively made that change as a society, it would definitely happen. (Baby steps, folks.) If you want to cut down on your plastic consumption, here are a few of our guides over the years:
- How to actually use reusable grocery bags
- How to get rid of the worst reusable grocery bags
- How to buy in bulk when you live in a small space
- The Complete Guide to Wholesale Buying
- How to dispose of waste at the grocery store
- How to stop using so much single-use plastic
- What should I do with all these plastic bags?
- Quickly clean up any plastic you throw away
And since there is no one-size-fits-all way to cut down on plastic, tell us how you deal with it and leave any other recommendations on recycling strategies in our comments.