Is Recycling Just a Distraction?
Episode
27
Published:
Updated:
March 1, 2022
Many of us are dedicated recyclers, but is it a distraction from bigger issues like climate change? And what, if any, does recycling do to reduce carbon emissions?
Many of us are dedicated recyclers, but is it a distraction from bigger issues like climate change? And what, if any, does recycling do to reduce carbon emissions?
Send a message to your state legislators telling them it's time to improve recycling
Potential talking points
The U.S. only recycles 32% of its waste
With growing demand for raw materials and a major plastic waste problem, it's time for change
First, we need to require compostable materials in lieu of single use plastics
Second, we need to pass an extended producer program like the ones in Maine and Oregon
Students take legal action against their universities for fossil fuel investments
They’re targeting Stanford, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Vanderbilt
Using obscure law called “Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act”
Strategy developed by Climate Defense Project
Complaints filed w/ state attorney generals
Combined endowments of $150 billion
Sources
So how does recycling help address climate change?
Recycling requires less energy than producing new materials
Organic waste in landfills creates methane, a potent greenhouse gas
Recycling materials and energy savings
In 1960, U.S. produced
In 2018, U.S. produced
Recycling paper - fiber can be used 5-7 times thereby reducing the need to cut trees for paper by 80% or more
Other recycling statistics
Recycling performance
U.S. recycling by material type
Some materials can be recycled more than others
Plastic recycling
Approximately 8 billion tons of plastic have been produced since the1950s & more than 300 million tons are now made each year.
Although recycling has been mainstream for decades, only 10% of all plastic ever made has actually been recycled, at best
About 6 billion pounds of plastic bottles get thrown away every year, and only about 30% of them are recycled, according to IBISWorld analyst Nate Gelman. Of that 30%, just 20% is processed to create fresh plastic bottles
Recycling challenges
In 2018 China banned materials that didn’t meet more stringent standards
Quote from 2018 op-ed by CEO of Recology, a company that collects and processes municipal solid waste
“The simple fact is, there is just too much plastic—and too many different types of plastics being produced; and there exist few, if any, viable end markets for the material.”
Recycling and climate change
Project Drawdown, a non-profit based in California, has performed detailed analysis of ~ 80 different solutions to address climate change
Out of 80 solutions, recycling falls below the halfway point
Solutions
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) requires companies to be responsible—financially or physically—for their products at the end of life
Compostable packaging - certification requires it to degrade into non-toxic particles within a specific timeframe, either in home composting bins or in industrial composters.
Sources
How Useful Is Recycling, Really? - The Atlantic
Recycling in the U.S. Is Broken. How Do We Fix It? (columbia.edu)
Recycled Paper | Project Drawdown
To meet climate goals, world urged to reuse natural resources | Reuters
Plastics clampdown is key to climate change fight, EU environment chief says | Reuters
Is Recycling Worth It Anymore? People On The Front Lines Say Maybe Not : NPR
Why Have We All Been Recycling Plastic For 30 Years? : Planet Money : NPR
National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes and Recycling | US EPA
Recycling won't solve the plastic -waste crisis alone | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)
The carbon footprint of plastics is growing every single day | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)
New York governor proposes EPR program in 2022 agenda - Recycling Today