reduce. reuse. Then, when all other methods fail, recycle.
picture: focus on
A city waste worker rejected another batch of recycled material littered with greasy pizza boxes and broken glass, without hesitation ordering the waste to die slowly in a landfill.
As he did, a woman spoke as I addressed visitors to Olympic National Park in northern Washington state, delighted in her efforts to protect the environment for future generations.
She proudly described her active role in tackling climate change. She told me she was doing her part. She recycles.
From this perspective, she is far from unique. I’ve had countless conversations with self-proclaimed environmentalists who think recycling is the appropriate action.
A 2016 study by the Pew Research Center Showing that recycling is the primary way to help the environment through everyday actions, 63% of U.S. adults say they have a recycling bin at home, more than any other action suggested in the study.
Modern recycling has become a part of life, but what happens when these plastic containers leave our curbs?
The obvious answer is that it goes to a recycling facility, which is often not the case.
China, which has previously processed more than half of U.S. recycling, closed 2017 our trash.However, according to The Guardian in 2019.
Also, 20% to 70% of this plastic is thrown away because it is polluted or unusable, this waste is thrown into landfill and it will remain long after you, me or any of our children are gone . Widespread estimates of how much recyclables end up in landfills are just one indicator of how little we know about the true environmental impact of commercial recycling.
Maybe the woman in my speech didn’t know that, or she didn’t care.
Of course, our society has a litter problem, as seen in the overflowing landfills and litter islands in our oceans. At current capabilities, recycling is not an adequate solution to this problem. A renewed focus on waste prevention and reuse could more effectively prevent these piles from continuing to grow, but how can we facilitate this change?
When the slogan “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” came up Popularized in the 1970s, our consumerist economy is in full swing. Manufacturers can’t make people buy less by buying less and reusing products, and people aren’t interested in spending less. While recycling should be a last resort, people are starting to see it as the only solution to our waste problem. The image of three green arrows became a symbol of commercial recycling, and the idea of reduction and reuse was quickly forgotten.
Reduction and reuse are not modern concepts. Until the end of the 19th century, families used old fabrics to make new clothes or blankets and repair their own furniture, and what they couldn’t use was recycled by capable merchants.historian susan struther Described How this form of recycling was a part of life long before commercial recycling could be understood, and this method usually produces very little waste.
During the Industrial Revolution, waste became a concern and recycling became important in a new way. Where earlier forms of recycling were born in response to limited materials and thin wallets, modern recycling is a solution to unmanageable volumes of waste.
If 63% of American adults who recycle at home instead practice 19th century recycling, with an emphasis on reduction and reuse, the impact on industry would be staggering. Repurposing and repairing worn clothing, finding reusable household products and packaging alternatives, and minimizing the consumption of single-use items may change how our society views waste.
There are barriers to these practices, such as high prices for sustainable products or product repair leading to a lack of accessibility and affordability, especially when compared to the affordability of cheap disposable products. This situation is expected to improve in time as demand increases and regulation of the product lifecycle from production to disposal improves.
The regulatory framework could include subsidies for reusable or compostable single-use materials, tax penalties for single-use plastic production, other incentives for durable products, or more creative solutions.
Our environmental problems are bigger than waste, with greenhouse gas emissions creating a dangerously unstable climate. That being said, with reduced energy use in manufacturing and transportation, reduction and reuse can alleviate these issues further than recycling alone.
I’m not blaming the virtuous women for speaking out on my show, or telling you to stop recycling. In fact, I applaud her efforts and wish you better recycling and avoiding contaminated materials in your own curbside bins.
However, an emphasis on reduction and reuse can do more to manage waste. Pushing government regulation to put pressure on major waste-generating industries could go further. Successful plastic bag bans around the world are a good example. Next, we have to find other single-use products and waste sources to keep this momentum going.
Brynne Wilcox is a graduate student at Columbia Climate Institute MSc in Climate and Society program.
