Say What??

I have scrolled through my business newsfeed and felt the need to fact-check or at least provide my input on some topics that have been shared and posted repeatedly. Many may not completely understand, at least from a materials recovery facility standpoint. 

1. "Choose glass in place of plastic because it's more environmentally friendly." 

A number of materials recovery facilities made the decision to no longer accept curbside glass. When collected in a curbside/residential recycling program, glass becomes color mixed and collects all the small contaminants (straws, lids, shredded paper, small pieces of plastic) which makes it much more difficult to sell and makes it nearly worthless or a negative value. Glass collected in this manner also has little end markets unless processed for alternative uses (drainage/septic/trenching/etc). Glass is also the most destructive of all recyclable materials that pass through materials handling equipment which makes it extremely costly to process and handle.

Don't get me wrong we should absolutely recycle glass - especially pre-consumer. We should also continue to explore better processing methods and options. Feedback from glass manufacturers has been that the material recovery facility should do it better by equipment changes and upgrades. They do not provide a lot of guidance on how to make those changes affordable because the value being paid for the recycled glass (even contaminant-free) is minimal. It would be helpful if glass manufacturers could provide some support, input, and funding to assist in recycling the glass they manufacture back into the glass they'll sell, especially if they're pushing it as a more environmentally friendly product. 

2. "Water bottlers single-handedly account for a majority of plastic litter on our planet to date."

When drinking water is contaminated or I don't have access to my clean tap water I am certainly happy to purchase a clean, safe bottle of water. My good fortune allows me to typically use my own freshwater from the tap but others aren't as lucky. The place where the issue begins is what is done with the bottle when finished. As a consumer, I need to ensure that I recycle it. The idea that the consumers' failure to recycle the bottles after the water is gone is the responsibility of the producer is as ridiculous as saying that your home builder is responsible to clean up the rubble after it burns down or after you decide to renovate. Once the product changes hands from the manufacturer to the consumer it then becomes the sole responsibility of the consumer to do the right thing. 

Do I think if a manufacturer is creating a bottle that they should use recycled content in their manufacturing process, absolutely! 

The issue is that in order for the manufacturer to use recycled content the consumer needs to ensure they recycle it. Recycling markets are readily available, manufacturers are using and looking for raw material (in the form of recycled water and soda bottles) daily yet in the US we only recycle on average less than 30% of the bottles we consume. When companies make the commitment to use recycled content they also have to figure out where to get it from because the consumers are just not doing their part to recycle it, how do we fix that? To me, it sounds like a consumer/public issue, not a company issue. 

3. "Recycling is just not cost-effective and the materials placed in the bins are not really recycled."

This may be true BUT only because of the job the recycler is doing. Recycling success depends on what is being placed in the bins and the quality of the recyclables. Recycling has become so costly due to all the contaminants in the bin that the materials recovery facility needs to pay to landfill. Just because someone throws dirty diapers in a recycling bin does not mean they'll turn into a valuable raw material that a manufacturer can use to make something new (the definition of recycling). In fact, many times the contaminants placed in one bin not only contaminates that specific bin but depending on the severity of the contamination it can negatively impact the entire load. If your recycling has no value or if your recyclables need to be thrown away it's likely that you are doing it wrong. 

The fix is so easy but it takes collective participation and effort to be a success; recycle with care and know exactly what you can and cannot place in your specific recycling bin. 

I am certainly not the end all be all of these topics but I feel like there needs to be honest information provided. Everyone can do better - every day; that should be the goal of each person and business. When we get so focused on calling someone else out it's typically because we aren't focusing on the improvements we can make. Positive recycling impact starts in each household and recycling bin every day. Let's make today a better day in recycling.