Chapter 6: Recycling and Reducing

We are constantly told that we should recycle, but what exactly is recycling and what is the process? We usually toss away our plastic waste into our recycling bins without giving a second thought to where the waste goes and how it’s recycled. Recycling is a method used to prevent our waste from becoming litter and it has a very elaborate process on how it’s done. Shockingly, most plastic cannot be recycled and you may be tossing away things that are not recyclable.

This chapter discusses the recycling process and explains how to determine if the plastic packaging you’re trying to recycle is actually recyclable or not. There are also tips on how to reduce your plastic use in order to reduce your overall plastic footprint.

Recycling

What is Recycling?

Recycling is a method that tries to halt the development of more plastics in our world and keep materials out of the landfill by taking pieces of waste, turning them back into raw materials, and using them to manufacture new products.

Why Recycle?

Recycling reduces pollution. It does this by preventing materials from going into landfills and incinerators. There are many reasons to keep materials from going into landfills. Items in landfills keep accumulating as more and more materials get thrown into them, creating a trash-filled mass of land that only keeps growing. Not only does this causes more pollution in our world, when waste materials are burned or accumulated at landfills, toxins end up finding their way into the ground, water, and atmosphere.

The manufacturing process uses less energy to produce products using recycled materials rather than virgin raw materials, which require much more energy. The general demand for virgin raw materials to make products is also reduced when recycling. There is a lower demand for these materials and this reduces the damage caused by creating them. Another great reason is that this creates jobs. Recycling centers need a workforce to keep them running. This creates many opportunities for employment. Job opportunities would decrease for landfills since they would be used less often, but many more jobs would be created in the recycling industry. Recycling processing and recycling-based manufacturing creates tons of job opportunities for people. Not only do recycling centers create tons of jobs for people in the community, but recycled items also contribute to the growth of the economy. This only leads to more and more jobs. Many middle-class jobs are created at recycling centers. People with minimum education levels can get various jobs in this industry.

How is Recycling Done?

The first step to recycling is to collect and process items. There are many ways to do this. Most communities have curbside programs that collect residents’ recycling items on the street. A lot of these communities also give residents bins where they can discard their recyclables and put it on the street to be collected. Many areas have drop-off bins where people can stop by and drop off their recycling items too.

After plastic items are collected, they’re sorted by plastic type. The plastic waste is then cleaned and baled. To bale recyclable waste means to compress all the waste into a cube that can be easily transported or stacked. These are then sent to a plant that processes the waste back into raw materials that will be used to manufacture new items. The items are finally returned to the market where they can be purchased by customers.

Not the Ultimate Solution

Recycling may be a good short-term method to prevent pollution, but it’s definitely not the final solution to solving the plastic problem long-term. This only pushes back and delays the inevitable damage to the environment further into the future. Recycled plastic also isn’t as good quality as newly created plastic and is more likely to leach hazardous chemicals and toxins.

Not All Plastic is Recyclable

Most plastic packaging has a triangular chasing arrow sign with a number inside it. Most people believe this symbol to be a guarantee that the plastic packaging can and will be recycled. Despite the common belief, not all of these plastics are recyclable.

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This also makes people believe that plastic is recycled more often than it is. Shockingly, only 9% of plastic waste that has ever been produced has been recycled. And even more surprising is that only items from two of the seven RIC categories are recyclable. Tossing items that are not recyclable into the recycling bin actually slows down the sorting process, increases recycling expenses, poses a risk of contamination, and sends the waste to landfills and incinerators.

Resin Identification Code

These chasing arrow symbols with a number are the resin identification code of the plastic. In 1988, the Society of the Plastics Industry created the Resin Identification Code (RIC) system. Refer back to Chapter 1, where we discussed different types of plastics. This system gives each plastic type a code and helps people identify the type of plastic the item is made from. The reason this was created was to help recycling facilities sort the waste by plastic type. The Resin Identification Code system has been the worldwide standard for plastic classification. The different plastic types each fall into the seven categories. Many consumers have good intentions and would toss any plastic item that has a RIC symbol into the recycling bin, assuming that they will be recycled.

Is Your Plastic Waste Recyclable?

When recycling plastic packaging, look around on the item for a Resin Identification Code, which is represented by the seven symbols below. These symbols are a code for each of the types of plastics discussed in Chapter 1.

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Polyethylene terephthalate (PET & PETE)

Widely recyclable Use this page as a guide as to whether your plastic waste is recyclable or not. For items that are listed as “usually not recyclable”, you may want to call your local recycling center and check with them if they accept them.

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Polypropylene (PP)

Usually not recyclable (check with your local recycling center)

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High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

Widely recyclable

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Polystyrene (PS)

Not recyclable

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Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC or vinyl)

Usually not recyclable (check with your local recycling center)

Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

Not recyclable

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Other

Not recyclable

How to Reduce Plastic Use

Reducing your use of plastic is the best way to prevent plastic pollution from getting worse in this world. If you do not buy or use products with plastic, you will not be contributing to the pollution of plastic waste at all. If everyone starts to do this, we can significantly slow down the rate of pollution in this world.

It may be unrealistic to completely cut it out from our lives right now since almost every consumer item in this day and age is made from plastic, but we can still try our best to control what we can, which will make a huge difference. There are many other ways you can reduce your use of plastic and sometimes it takes being creative and thinking up of your own ideas. Here are some tips on how to reduce your plastic waste:

1. Bring your own reusable to-go container when ordering food at a restaurant.

2. Stop using plastic straws. When you’re at a restaurant, tell the waiter that you do not want a straw with your drink. Buy yourself some reusable stainless steel or glass straws instead. 3. Do not use plastic cutlery. When ordering at a restaurant, ask them to not provide you with plastic forks, spoons, and knives. Buy silverware instead and bring them with you when you go to restaurants.

4. Get yourself some reusable tote bags to take with you when you go shopping.

5. Use matches instead of disposable lighters.

6. 7.6 billion pounds of disposable diapers are thrown away each year which take hundreds of years to break down. Buy reusable cloth diapers to use for your baby.

7. Either make juice yourself with real fruit or eat the fruit rather than buying juice from the grocery store which often comes stored in plastic containers.

8. When buying fruits and vegetables from the grocery store, buy whole fruits and vegetables instead of precut ones that have been placed in plastic containers.

9. Buy yourself a reusable stainless steel bottle so that you will not contribute to plastic water bottle waste.

10. Make your own non-toxic cleaner and put it inside a glass spray bottle to avoid buying cleaners with toxic chemicals that come in plastic bottles.

11. Use shampoo, conditioner, soap, body wash, and other cosmetic products that do not come in plastic packaging.

12. Use reusable containers and bags to pack your lunch.

13. Buy yourself a reusable razor with replaceable razor blades.