Is recycling the answer to my consumption problem?
My city and community have a recycling problem. Actually, there are several recycling problems. According to an article in the Draper Journal only 10% of the trash generated in our little city is sent to be recycled. That’s problem number 1. I’ve been an advocate for recycling for as long as I can remember. In fact, my first Facebook post was in celebration that my community was now recycling #5 plastics. Today, I’m questioning my advocacy. Here’s why: Of the 10% of waste that is taken to a facility to be recycled, only a portion of it is actually recycled! Once picked up at the curb, the recycling truck takes the items to a material recovery facility (MRF). Here, items are sorted and what is truly recyclable is removed and the remainder of the materials that were initially in the recycle bin, go to landfill.
I thought plastics, paper and aluminum were very easily recycled, turns out they’re not; which is problem number 2. Following China’s ban on 24 types of imported waste, which came into force on January 1, 2019, the recycling market has been in turmoil. Nobody wants our waste. Our city pays $16/ton to send waste to landfill and $50/ton to send it to be recycled, much of which is NOT recycled and ends up in the landfill. As a tax payer, I should be infuriated! But I understand that recycling is complex. Even if I recycle “correctly” and there is a correct way, my neighbor may have thrown in a greasy pizza box or a contaminated plastic bottle last containing who knows what and that can contaminate an entire load of recycling and change its path to landfill.
So, what’s the problem with landfill? Mostly that we are running out of space for landfill, nobody wants to live next to a landfill. Landfills also create methane gas, which is a greenhouse gas.
What can you and I do about this? My recycle bin is always full. I will find ways to reduce and reuse. I will support any business or process that uses recycled materials. I will purchase recycled paper, I will not purchase single use containers if I can at all avoid it.
I don’t have the answer, but I do know that my small choices along with your small choices, will have an impact. Let’s try to make them positive! Consider the beginning, where the material came from and consider the end, where it will end up. Then, make a choice.
