I’ve always wondered how legit recycling is and if it’s worth the effort to personally do it. (I live in a high-rise and I can toss my garbage down a chute on my floor, but have to bring my recycling down to the ground floor.) In college I literally saw them dump the recycling bin and trash bin into the same truck, but I know I see dedicated recycling trunks around.
I was told “soiled” recycling can’t be used i.e. greasy used pizza boxes, is that true? Recycling dumpsters are gross, isn’t everything soiled?
When companies sell a product that’s “made from recycled products” how truthful is that? Is it their own recycled products or do they source it?
Whats the deal with the recycling triangles and numbers on a product? If I recycle a number that I shouldn’t, does it ruin everything else in that dumpster?
How does any one/machine feasibly sort recycling? It seems like a herculean task.
Recycling, fact or fiction?
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I worked in the industry for years and the thing to understand about recycling is that it is a commodity. If there is a market to buy it, it can and will be successful. The value of recyclables really depends on what you’re recycling. Certain types of plastics and cardboard are highly valuable and can be repurposed multiple times.
Other things — less so.
Soiling — or contamination — is a very real concern in a single stream environment. With single stream recycling, all your recyclables are commingled and liquid and food can contaminate things like cardboard and ruin it. The problem is — a lot of a little bit of contamination adds up so it’s best to keep things as clean as possible. Dump all liquids out of cans and bottles and clean as much food waste off as possible.
It’s not a scam — but there needs to be someone on the other end who wants to buy what’s being recycled.
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