Is Recycling Plastic Worth It?
Recycling has been around for a very long time, but our version of recycling began in the 1970s. We are now taught in school, at home, and by society that it’s the right thing to do if we hope to protect the environment. However, despite this inclusion of recycling in our education and the emphasis local governments often put on it, recycling is much less straightforward than most of us think it is.
Depending on the material and the individual item, recycling (and especially plastic recycling) may not always be the miracle solution we think it is.
Is recycling ever straightforward?
Recycling can work – but only with some materials. In particular, glass and metal can be recycled indefinitely, only with the use of the energy needed to reform them into new items. When renewable energy is used in the process, glass and metal recycling are the most sustainable options by a landslide – however, we are still far away from this being the standard.
Paper recycling is slightly more complex, as it loses quality in the process and can only be recycled a number of times before it needs to be discarded. However, it can be composted at the end of its lifecycle which reduces the impact and also makes paper a fairly sustainable option.
It’s only when we come to plastic, commonly marked with the chasing arrows symbol, that matters get much more complicated…
The truth behind chasing arrows
If you regularly buy products packaged in plastic, you’re likely familiar with the chasing arrows symbol, usually depicted with a number inside. While it can provide some helpful information, it is also heavily misleading, as many people often think that any product marked with the symbol are recyclable or were made from recycled materials.
In reality, this symbol doesn’t mean either of these things it also isn’t regulated, which means that anyone can use it.
So, you may be asking: ‘What does the symbol actually communicate?’. It’s used to indicate the type of plastic an item or its packaging has been manufactured from – that and that alone.
Recyclable vs. non-recyclable plastics
As you have likely already heard before, there are many different types of material which are commonly labeled as plastic – PET, for example, being one of the most popular. Only some of these plastics can be recycled, and they need to be sorted into separate batches.
The numbers on the arrow can help you figure out whether an item is recyclable and also provide information for recycling facilities, shall they not be sure about the material.
While the types of plastic which are accepted for recycling vary by community, numbers 1 and 2 are generally commonly accepted. The numbers 4 and 5 are accepted in some areas and not in others, so ensure that you check your local authority information. Lastly, numbers 3, 6 and 7 are widely non-recyclable, either because the material can’t be re-formed, because transporting the material would be too costly, or for other reasons.
Once you check your local authority’s information on recycling guidelines and memorize which numbers can go in the recycling bin and which to trash (or avoid buying in the first place), the chasing arrows symbol can become very useful. Especially since some products may be labeled as recyclable by the manufacturer, but not accepted by your local authority. However, people who are not in the know about the symbol’s intricacies still commonly get confused by it.
Other reasons why the plastic recycling process is inefficient
Unfortunately, confusion about the chasing arrows symbol, or the fact that only some plastics are recycled, are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to plastic recycling – there are additional barriers that make the process inefficient and outdated.
Firstly, even the plastics which can be recycled are usually only recycled once, because they lose quality in the process very quickly. Small items, such as plastic straws, may be made from recyclable plastic, but don’t eventually end up being recycled due to their small size or variation in color.
Plastics also usually aren’t recycled in the west – instead, they’re transported across half the world to developing countries that already mismanage much of their own waste, which not only lowers the recycling rate but also significantly increases the carbon footprint. Because of that, even recyclable plastics often end up in the landfill, or worse, being discarded in the environment, and there is an abundance of evidence to support this.
Due to the many flaws of plastic recycling, we always prefer to encourage people to avoid plastic whenever possible, choosing unpackaged alternatives or items wrapped in paper, glass, metal, or another more eco-friendly material.
The key to understanding recycling is to know what your local recyclers will and will not accept and under what conditions. Obviously, continue to recycle your glass, paper, cardboard, aluminum, and other metals because they are quite sustainable. But when it comes to being an eco-friendly shopper it is critical to understand that just because a product has the chasing arrows on it doesn’t mean it is sustainable, recyclable, or good for the environment. Making new plastic is cheap and there are big companies making billions from the production of new plastic. Unfortunately, technology has a long way to go before we are able to sort, clean, and recycle most plastics safely.
