[OPINIONATED] Recycling Myths: What is Actually Happening to Our Waste?

Recycling Myths: What is Actually Happening to Our Waste?

By: Haerim Park

Over the years, recycling has become a cornerstone of environmental stewardship—a crucial practice aimed at conserving resources and minimizing waste. However, many myths cloud our understanding of what is really happening to our waste once it leaves our homes. Only by confronting some of these common recycling myths and really looking at how waste management works can we grasp how well our current recycling practices are working toward a more sustainable future.

Myth 1: All Recyclables Really Get Recycled
One of the most common myths is that everything we put into those recycling bins gets reprocessed and reused. In reality, it is quite the opposite. The recycling process, in truth, is much more complicated and less effective than most people think. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only about 35% of municipal solid waste was recycled or composted in 2018. This number differs depending on the region and material, but it does show that there's a big disparity between what we think we're doing when we recycle and what really happens.

This discrepancy is due to several factors. First, there is a problem of contamination: if recyclables have food waste, non-recyclable materials mixed in them, or are sorted badly, they may contaminate whole batches such that they are not appropriate for recycling. Market demand also comes into play. Recycled materials must compete in cost and quality with virgin materials. If there is little demand for some sort of material to be recycled, it will end up in landfills or incinerators instead of being processed.

Myth 2: Plastic Bottles Are Always Recycled into New Bottles
Another common misconception is that plastic bottles are always recycled into new bottles. This can be done, but it doesn't happen all the time. In reality, many plastic bottles meet very different endings. For example, most plastic bottles are downcycled instead of being recycled. Downcycling is the process whereby used plastics are reprocessed into lower-quality products, which include carpeting, insulation, composite lumber, and so on. Quite often, such products cannot be further recycled, resulting in a much more linear waste stream.

Not all plastic bottles are recyclable, either. Plastic recycling codes indicate the type of material, though only some are widely accepted. For example, plastics marked with codes 3 for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and 6 for polystyrene (PS) are generally not recycled because there are few or no facilities that accept them, or it's simply not economically viable.

Myth 3: Recycling Is Too Expensive to Be Worthwhile
Others say that recycling is too expensive and not worth the trouble. This view misses the point in various aspects. While the programs do demand funds for collection, sorting, and processing, they do have a number of valuable economic benefits. Amongst others, industries that support recycling create jobs; those related to raw material extraction and processing are often much more ecologically harmful.

Recycling is actually financially beneficial in the long run. The cost for waste management via landfills or incineration actually turns out to be more than recycling—especially considering the tacked-on environmental costs and regulatory fees associated with their disposal.

Myth 4: Recycling Is a Cure-All for Environmental Issues
Many people view recycling as a panacea for environmental problems, which is not the case. Even though recycling helps to reduce the volume of waste dispatched to landfills and to conserve natural resources, it cannot solve all the environmental problems on its own. For instance, recycling alone cannot eliminate the pollution caused by the production and transportation of materials. Moreover, energy and water used for recycling may also impact the environment.

In reality, the environment will be safe only if the recycling program is initiated in conjunction with reducing, reusing, and other sustainable practices that help to reduce wastage generation at its very source. This holistic approach mitigates waste generation and promotes a circular economy in which resources are continually reused and regenerated.

Myth 5: Recycling Is Effective in Reducing Carbon Footprint
Although recycling can be good for reducing carbon footprint in theory, it varies depending on the material used and how efficient the recycling process is. In the case of aluminum, it is the most energy-efficient, saving 95% of the energy that goes into creating new aluminum from its raw ore. Plastic recycling also contributes some energy savings, but the amounts are not as significant, and the overall environmental benefits can be swamped by the problems of managing plastic waste.

Reducing carbon footprint also depends on the infrastructure and technology in use when recycling. Advanced sorting technologies and efficient processing facilities can enhance effectiveness in recycling, while archaic or inefficient systems can reduce the environmental benefits.

The Current State of Recycling: Opportunities and Challenges
Despite the myths and challenges, recycling remains one of the critical elements for waste management and protection of the environment. Recent technological developments and changes in policy open up opportunities to improve the effectiveness of recycling. For example, more sophisticated sorting systems and automated technologies are under development to better deal with contaminated and mixed materials.

Furthermore, policies and initiatives aimed at reducing plastic waste, which include single-use plastic bans and extended producer responsibility programs, have created a focus away from recycling toward more sustainable options. Indeed, EPR programs require manufacturers to be responsible for their products' whole life cycle up to the point of disposal and recycling.

Greater recycling rates and reduced contamination will also be sustained through public awareness and education. More effective recycling can occur, and a greater overall impact can be made since people will be educated on proper practices and reasons to reduce waste.

Moving Forward: A Call to Action
To maximize the recycling potential and overcome the pitfalls of current recycling practices, an integrated approach towards waste management adoption by all stakeholders is required. This includes the following steps:

Waste reduction: Minimize consumption and hence waste generation. Use minimal packaging products and reusable things over disposable items.

Improve Recycling: Comply with the community's recycling standards for proper sorting and minimizing contaminants. Support policies and programs that drive the infrastructure development of recycling, provide stimulus to innovation, and enhance recycling efficiency.

Advocacy of Sustainable Policies: Contribute and work toward legislation that drives responsible production and consumption, through setting EPR programs and banning problem materials.

Educating Others: Teach friends, family, colleagues, and a wider audience about the issues of recycling and reducing waste to uphold responsibility for the environment.

By understanding and addressing these myths and realities, we can work toward a more sustainable future in which recycling and waste management play meaningful roles in environmental conservation.


Sources cited:
Environmental Protection Agency. Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2018 Fact Sheet. Environmental Protection Agency, 2020, www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/documents/2018_smm_fact_sheet.pdf.

Geyer, Roland, et al. "Production, Use, and Fate of All Plastics Ever Made." Science Advances, vol. 3, no. 7, 2017, e1700782. DOI:10.1126/sciadv.1700782.

National Geographic Society. "The Recycling Myth." National Geographic, 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/recycling-myths.

Rivard, Anne. "The Economics of Recycling: What Does It Cost and Is It Worth It?" Waste Management World, 14 June 2021, www.wastemanagementworld.com/a/the-economics-of-recycling-what-does-it-cost-and-is-it-worth-it. United Nations Environment Programme. Single-Use Plastics: A Roadmap for Sustainability. United Nations Environment Programme, 2018, www.unep.org/resources/report/single-use-plastics-roadmap-sustainability.