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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It’s not a hoax. But what can be recycled is more complex than some people want to believe. If the product can be effectively washed and it’s a recyclable material processed by your local facility and there is a buyer, then it will be recycled.
But you can’t wash paper product, so paper product has to be pretty clean when disposed. Most food containers made from paper product either get too soiled or have a coating that can’t be recycled, which is why paper food containers are universally not accepted for recycling.
That being said, paper recycling in the US basically stopped when China stopped buying used paper for recycling. Something similar happens with various plastics now and then.
Theres also usually a substantial oss of material as it’s recycled except for glass and aluminum. Which is a huge chunk of why those two materials are generally always accepted.
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