Stop Pretending Your Trash Is Recyclable
If you’ve ever stood in front of your trash can – weren’t sure if the trash in your hands is recyclable – and threw it anyway, this article is for you.
Above on Mother Jones , writer Jackie Flynn Mogensen has followed the effects of “wishcycling” when a consumer commits this garbage tactlessness in the hope that somewhere down the line, their garbage will find its rightful place, whether with others similarly recyclable or in a landfill.
But when you add potentially non-recyclable materials to your container, you directly contaminate your actual recyclables and create several problems for recycling businesses (and especially for areas that rely on single-stream recycling, where all recyclables are collected in one container, compared to segregating by materials in different bins).
Waste Management, the nation’s largest waste management company, told Mother Jones that for every ton of recyclable materials they receive, £ 500 will be sent to landfill due to issues such as contaminated recyclables or garbage that just shouldn’t be there – a process that requires additional time and money ($ 100 million a year, says Waste Management).
Even worse, with China’s continued ban on imports of our garbage, single-stream recycling is becoming more common because it encourages consumers to recycle more often (and, in the end, it’s cheaper for the garbage carriers). give consumers the impression that their one blue basket will solve their problems, but this is far from the case.
Single stream pollution remains a major concern
Single-stream recycling may be less transparent, in part because of the containers themselves, says Tory Karl, a waste reduction inspector in Greensboro, North Carolina. Karl said that carts used in single-line processing are often covered with a lid; Recycling collectors cannot see what is inside and manually separate non-recyclable materials from recyclable materials.
“When we had two-line processing in the communities, they were collected in open bins,” she said. “… These collectors were able to leave behind contamination (eg newspaper bags) as a direct education for residents when they disposed of improperly.”
According to Five Thirty Eight , in a unified sorting system, a garbage truck can also compress and crush materials. If you opt for a non-recyclable bin, scanners at your local recycling facility may have difficulty sorting these items.
And when you combine things in one container as part of a single-flow system, contaminated items can affect other types of recyclable materials; A wet beverage container can saturate the paper and render it unrecyclable, according to Mother Jones. (Let’s emphasize one point, though: Throwing non-recyclable materials in the bin in a dual-flow recirculation system is still a bad thing; a pollution problem already exists in a single-flow system.)
When in doubt, throw away
What can be done to avoid this altogether? Simple – search the internet for the city’s recycling program rules and find all the recent headlines; Recycling programs across the country are rapidly changing in response to China’s ban and fluctuating demand for recyclable materials. “Residents should look for recycling information, if they don’t understand or have doubts, throw it away,” Karl said.
However, there are some general rules to keep in mind. For example, you probably won’t be able to dispose of heavily soiled items. As Mother Jones writes, items such as plastic bags and electronics usually cannot be recycled as part of your curbside program and you may need to visit the drop-off site. Use the Earth911 finder locator to find such challenging items.
And if you still have problems, find a local sustainability Facebook group in your area; they can point you in the right direction so you can make the best possible environmental decision.
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