RECYCLING IN CHI by Rachel Koertner
Recycling is a paradox - it is illustrious, but is still widely ignored. Many people see the startling statistics and yet they live in blissful ignorance, not wanting to put in the work to recycle or learn how to do it correctly. Society is aware that there are countless benefits to recycling, both environmentally and financially, but recycling rates in many places continue to drop. There are Chicagoans who advocate for going green in so many ways, and yet the city has an exponentially lower recycling rate than most places in the world.
A survey done by the Better Government Association (BGA) found that Chicago’s recycling rate is by far the lowest of any major metropolitan area in the country. In 2018, Chicago was reported to have a rate of nine percent, which may not sound terrible, but in comparison, the second-lowest city was Houston with a recycling rate of 17 percent. Compared to San Jose, with a rate of 80 percent is one of the nation’s highest, Chicago is extremely behind. Therefore, one must ask - what sets Chicago so far back? Why are the city’s rates so low? Should its citizens care, and how does it affect them? What can Chicagoans do to combat this low recycling rate? Many resources give advice on how to encourage more people to recycle, and there are three big ideas that are consistently mentioned: educating people on the impact of recycling in their cities, teaching them how to recycle, and organizations finding structural solutions. These all have the potential to make an impact, and even dramatically increase Chicago’s recycling rates, if implemented.
THE IMPACT OF RECYCLING IN OUR CITY The first in that list, and the one closest to home, is educating people on the impact of recycling in Chicago. You may think that the sea turtles are the only ones benefiting from people recycling, but actually each community benefits the more they recycle, and this happens in many ways. A community’s commitment to a cleaner environment is often considered a reflection of its commitment to a higher quality of living. Recycling attracts companies that process recyclables as well as suppliers who reuse these materials in their products, which means more businesses and more jobs. A study done by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pointed out that recycling industries not only offer higher paying jobs than the national average, but they also prevent communities from sending valuable items to their landfills. Also in the EPA study, it was reported that in 2007, the city of Kinston, North Carolina, was able to save $100,000 in fuel and labor costs by implementing a new and improved recycling program, which shows that recycling can save communities an exponential amount of money. The study said that many people fail to recognize the increasing impact recycling will have on the economic health of their region. Another way that recycling benefits communities is by creating sustainability. Cities like Atlanta, Georgia, are turning to smart growth strategies to manage expected population growth, which are based on principles of sustainability. Then of course, at the core of sustainability is recycling. Recycling improves air quality, and
