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 am a solid waste facility inspector and spent 10 years working in garbage/recycling, so hopefully I can help explain!
> In college I literally saw them dump the recycling bin and trash bin into the same truck
Some trucks have multiple compartments inside, so trash and recycling go in the same truck but stay separate inside. Other places might use separate trucks. Which is better just depends on how the collection routes are set up and other logistical details.
> 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?
This is actually a big problem. Paper/cardboard can’t be recycled if it’s too contaminated by things like grease. In “single stream” recycling (where all types of materials go in the same bin), contamination rates can be very high. There is usually still a fair amount of useable cardboard, though. This isn’t an issue for plastic, glass, or metal since they can be washed off during the recycling process.
Single stream recycling is often used in spite of high contamination levels because it’s easier than keeping all the materials separate. A lot more people will participate in recycling if they don’t have to separate all the materials themselves.
> 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?
It depends! “Recycled” material can come from many sources – for example industrial waste, scrapyards, or municipal recycling programs. “Post consumer material” specifically means it uses things that were recycled by consumers (aka ordinary people).
> Whats the deal with the recycling triangles and numbers on a product?
The triangles themselves are unregulated. Anyone can slap a triangle logo on anything… whether or not it’s actually recyclable.
The numbers in the triangle are an industry standard to show what type of plastic it is. Different number plastics have different properties and get processed differently.
However, a number doesn’t necessarily mean your local program can recycle that product… for example, my local facility can take number 2 bottles, but not number 2 bags because our equipment can’t handle thin floppy bags. Check with your local pickup service for a list of what they can/can’t take.
> If I recycle a number that I shouldn’t, does it ruin everything else in that dumpster?
Nope, they will just remove it during sorting. But try to avoid it if possible since it adds extra work/expense to processing the recycling.
> How does any one/machine feasibly sort recycling? It seems like a herculean task.
It doesn’t. We sort that shit *by hand.*
There is some mechanical sorting, like magnets to pull out steel and blowers to separate heavier/lighter materials. But most of the sorting is a conveyer belt with a bunch of dudes picking through it, sorting stuff manually.
And no… this is not a very nice job lol. It’s gross and smelly and you have to watch out for dangers like needles. So be considerate to the workers when you throw stuff in the bin!
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