Is it worth the argument?


You are on a business-focused social media platform and there is a great post motivating consumers to recycle their PET bottles. It's an encouraging video showing all the potential "new" products the "old", recycled PET can become. The post focuses on the idea that these bottles are not only recyclable but an in-demand raw material that manufacturers are actually seeking. This is all an attempt to stoke the interest of the public and motivate them to recycle and keep bottles out of the landfill or worse, discarded as litter. What possible negative reaction could this post get? 


Insert a snarky comment by someone who knows someone who had a job, at one time, that is semi-related to a position that assisted in the recycling of PET. They fire back that PET recycling back into a PET bottle isn't possible and/or profitable. This one comment is followed up quickly by a few other recycling naysayers "recycling is dead", "recycling can't be profitable", "recycling is fiction and never actually happens". Sprinkle on top a few recycling cheerleaders and you're left with a lot of confused people. 

I read, get irritated, and find myself wondering, do I even bother arguing this? I know with all certainty that PET bottles can successfully be recycled back into new PET bottles as well as a gamut of other products as well. The shared video was perfectly informative and on target. Have I had a recent, direct peak at the manufacturers' books to ensure they are (or are able) to make a profit recycling PET back into bottles? No, I have not. 

Have we sold countless loads of PET to a variety of manufacturers filling the need for all of the above-listed end products? Yes, we have. 

I struggle between responding, based on first-hand knowledge to make sure that others do not buy into the misinformation. Often, when I pause prior to responding to social media misinformation I think of a quote "Careful when arguing with a fool; onlookers may not be able to tell the difference." 

What do you think, is it worth the argument? Are minds ever changed by a fact-based social media response? 


Comments

  1. Arjun KrishnanOctober 19, 2021 at 10:11 AM

    I suppose they have challenges of their own which isn't visible to us. We've seen similar challenges with LDPE- though they can be recycled, it isn't necessarily profitable until there is a demand for post consumer recycled resin in new LDPE products (California has such a law). Perhaps that is the reason why?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. tiffany mOctober 19, 2021 at 11:26 AM

      Absolutely Arjun, every manufacturer has challenges. Using a recycled content raw material that comes from a variety of both post/pre consumer sources certainly doesn't make it any easier. This is where recycling contaminants and recycling with care has a very direct impact on the end users/manufacturers.
      The idea though that its not actually able to be done is just false. The demand for the raw material is absolutely a necessity. In this specific instance, the demand is already in place for PET (bottle to bottle) or for other PET products. I would agree that LDPE is a bit of a tougher market at least currently (once again based upon cleanliness/contaminants). Our hope is that as consumers and manufacturers continue to feel the pressure to recycle and buy recycled the impact will continue to grow - which is why we become so frustrated with claims that recycling isn't a reality.

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