America Recycles Day
We know that recycling can be confusing. Do I need to separate aluminum from plastic? What type of paper can be recycled? What’s the difference between single use and polypropylene plastic? In honor of America Recycles Day, we want to help answer these questions and more and debunk some of the more common myths surrounding recycling so that you know you are making the savviest choice possible when it comes to disposing your waste products.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, less than 7% of waste was recycled in 1960. This has increased to over 32%, which is great news! However, many of the antiquated recycling practices still cause confusion today. For example, stringent sorting practices that recycling companies insisted on when recycling was a more novel idea are no longer required. The same holds true with cleaning items. Truth is, recycling is now easier than ever before. So what are some other myths surrounding recycling you need not worry about? Here are 5 myths debunked:
1.) Myth: Recycling Uses More Energy Than Making Something New
This myth has been around for sometime, even prompting encouragement to not recycle as a means of being more eco-friendly. However, according to the EPA, “recycling steel and tin cans saves 60 to 74 percent , recycling paper saves about 60 percent, and recycling plastic and glass saves about one-third of the energy compared with making those products from virgin materials.”
2.) Myth: Products Made From Recycled Materials Are Low Quality
Technology has come a long way when it comes to making products out of recycled materials and standards for said products are just as stringent as those made from virgin materials. Therefore, quality and performance does not suffer.
3.)Myth: Recycled Items Just End Up In The Trash Anyway
This rumor is very much prevalent in the recycling zeitgeist. While this may potentially have been more commonplace in past recycling practices, today it is simply not true. According to President and CEO of Moore Recycling Associates, “"there are buyers for those all day long," she told Tech Insider. "The amount that's going to the landfill is insignificant."
4.) You Can Only Recycle Something Once
While plastic may have a short recycle life, this article by Popular Mechanics points out that materials such as glass and aluminum can be recycled over and over without degradation. So purchasing these materials over plastic can essentially be less wasteful if you also recycle them properly.
5.) You Have To Crush Your Aluminum Cans Prior To Recycling
Nope! Although sometimes oddly satisfying, gone are the days of needing to stomp on your empty soda can to recycle it. In fact, this could actually lead to mis-sorting and cross-contamination of recycling products in the facility. So save yourself some time and effort and leave those cans in tact.
So now that we’ve disproved some of the myths that swirl around recycling efforts, we want to make it a bit easier for you to feel savvy and confident when you do recycle! Here are our top tips you should live by when it comes to disposing of products:
Never include plastic bags. Just don’t do it. They muck up the whole process and can actually cause perfectly recyclable products to be thrown out at the facility.
Follow the credit card rule. I.e. Don’t recycle anything smaller than a credit card (think straws, plastic lids, plastic cutlery, etc.). These items are too small to be sorted properly and can jam the machines just like plastic bags.
Higher numbers = less recyclable. You know those codes on containers that have a number between the recycle sign? Well, those are actually resin codes and they range from 1 - 7. Numbers 1 and 2 generally can be recycled without issue. As the numbers increase, recycling gets more complicated.
If you are unsure, do some research or just let it go. Although we may want a product to be recycled, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is, and when a non-recyclable product ends up in the mix it can really muck up the process.
Educate yourself. The Best thing you can do is educate yourself on your local recycling procedures and learn what products are accepted at the recycling facilities near you. Knowledge, after all, is power.
Finally, avoid plastic products all around. The less waste you generate, the less that has the potential to end up in a landfill. If you can get items that don’t need packaging, for example, that is the ideal!
We hope this helps ease any recycling stress you might have had. Happy #AmericaRecyclesDay everyone. Drop a message in the comments below if you have any questions or recycling tips of your own!
