This topic should have been covered ages ago, so I have no idea why this topic only struck me like lightning this week. We need to chat about recycling. Namely, the real deal about recycling. (*Drags out soap box. Dusts it off*)
If you’ve been with me awhile (or some of you, since my birth), you know I have a little bit of crunchy granola earth mother inside of me. Mainly, she worries about the earth; specifically, the earth she’s leaving behind for her daughter.
I want to be really up front about my intent for this article. My intent is not to judge ANYONE, especially myself. Eight years after starting my crusade to support the earth, I still struggle. Plastic is ubiquitous; it is everywhere. But, I know I can do better, and I can share what I learn with others (that’s you!).
Recycling Visits Memory Lane
I remember when curbside recycling first hit the mean streets of Canton, MI in the 1990s. The pickup was limited to cardboard, glass, tin cans and milk jugs. That was it. When the recycling truck rolled up, the worker jumped down, and he sorted your bin on the fly. Glass into the glass bin, cardboard into its bin, like with like.
Years later, along came single-stream recycling – the one where you just chuck everything in the same bin. Hallelujah! It was so easy. It seemed like you could recycle everything! And some people do. (I know I said I wouldn’t judge, but if you throw dirty diapers in your recycling bin you deserve my judgement 😒.)
But along with single-stream recycling came a dark underbelly that remains in the shadows to this day.
Pop Quiz
Q: What numbers on the bottom of your plastic containers are accepted by your recycling company?
A: In general, many companies accept #1, 2, 4, 5 and 7.
Q: Of those numbers, which has a decent chance of being recycled?
A: #1 probably, MAYBE #2. That’s it. Milk jugs, water bottles, laundry jugs and the like. Anything #3-7 generally gets dumped together and – SURPRISE – no one wants it because its basically impossible to take those types of plastic and turn it into anything else without being cost prohibitive. These bales of junk plastic are often dumped into landfills or they are INCINERATED. Yes, burnt up, releasing who knows what into the air we breath.
5%
The 2021 U.S. plastic recycling rate is estimated to be between five and six percent. This number is called out potentially optimistic – meaning it might actually be LOWER. (Sorry, I’m shouting again.)
The below excerpt captures a pretty bleak outlook on plastic recycling.
The relentless focus on the future potential for recycling to reduce plastic waste and pollution flies in the face of the hard facts:
REPORT: The Real Truth About the U.S. Plastics Recycling Rate | May 4, 2022
● Plastic waste generation is increasing in the U.S., up from 60 pounds per person per year in 1980 to 218 pounds per person in 2018 (per EPA data) – a 263% total increase (roughly 15% per year),
● Not one single type of plastic food service item, including the polypropylene cups lids that Starbucks touts as recyclable, has ever been recyclable per the FTC Green Guide legal definition,
● Toxicity risks in recycled plastic prohibit “the vast majority of plastic products and packaging produced” from being recycled into food grade packaging,
● The expansion of virgin plastic production is keeping the prices of high-quality new plastics low in comparison to higher cost recycled plastic, and
● “Advanced” chemical recycling fails in recycling post-consumer mixed plastic waste due to insurmountable contamination, environmental, and economic barriers.
Single-use plastic is just that – good for one use. It is practically impossible to recycle. If it isn’t #1, it’s destined for a destiny that doesn’t involve recycling.
Also, please note bullet #3 above. Companies literally cannot recycle plastic into food grade material because they are afraid they will POISON US.
Greenwashing Isn’t My Idea of Clean
Greenwash: misleading or deceptive publicity disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image (From Oxford Languages)
When an international coffee chain touts their coffee cup lids as “recyclable”, this company in engaging in what I consider to be greenwashing. They are intentionally trying to make you feel like you are a responsible world citizen when you purchase their coffee in that “recyclable” container. Even though a basic internet search reveals that is not what actually happens to those lids.
Oh, and guess what, that cup you thought was paper? It is also lined with plastic (to prevent the cup from getting soggy) so it is not actually recyclable. Yes, it is trash that you are putting in your recycling bin.
Okay, so I just dumped a bucket of cold water on your recycling dreams. What now?
No more “wishful recycling”
While your intentions are good, don’t throw it in there on the off-chance it can be recycled. You could end up contaminating an entire load of recyclables, doing more harm than good. Better to trash it than to contaminate the load or create more work in the sorting process. You cannot assume the green arrow triangle means you can recycle that item.
Instead, learn what is acceptable. Michigan actually has a really cool website, RecyclingRaccoons.org, to help you verify what items are eligible for recycling. Until this article, I had no idea this website existed so shame on Plymouth Township for not publicizing it more! (Judging again, I know.) The site features some rascally raccoons, which the kids will probably love.
In the meantime, let’s review the basic “Yays” and “Nays” of recycling from the raccoons. You should visit your locality’s recycling page to find out exactly which items are accepted in your curbside bin, but here’s a good start.
YAYs
- Clean, dry plastic bottles & containers with caps on (check your specific rules, but #1 and #2 are usually a safe bet)
- Clean, dry glass used for drinks and food
- Clean, dry metal cans and their lids
- Clean, dry paper larger than a credit card
- Envelopes with plastic windows
- Magazines and newspapers
- Wrapping paper EXCEPT with foil, glitter or other non-paper material
- Clean, dry, flattened cardboard including pasta boxes with windows
NAYs
- Plastic bags and plastic wrap (tangle in the machines and cause damage)
- Metal lids on glass jars
- Glass used for cooking (like Pyrex)
- Lightbulbs or holiday lights – nope, not in your curbside bin
- Paper cups, towels, tissues and napkins (even if unused)
- Styrofoam/straws/small loose plastic
- Cardboard or anything else with grease or food residue on it
- Wire or plastic hangers
- Scrap metal or construction materials
- Large plastic like buckets, lawn furniture or children’s play equipment
- Sharp medical instruments (needles, lancets, etc.) are dangerous to staff at the recycling facility.
- Batteries (find a special drop off point because we don’t want these in the landfills)
- Wood items
- Electronics (find a special drop off point, like Best Buy)
ASKs
- Shredded paper (some yays and some nays)
- Cartons (milk, juice, broth probably okay; no ice cream, Goldfish containers)
- Empty aerosol cans
I know this week’s topic was a bit of a downer, but knowledge is power. It is not okay to just pretend that this situation will go away if we stick our heads in the sand. Knowing there is a problem is the first step. I’m hoping to do a future article on easy ways to cut back on your plastic consumption and how we can apply pressure to large companies to offer us plastic-free alternatives.
As always, thanks for joining me this week! I’m here to help with all your homeowner questions and concerns.
