Why Recycling Doesn't Work?

When single-use products were first introduced in the 1930s, they became a cheap alternative to reusable items. Nearly a century ago, single-use products were considered convenient and even a sign of luxury, an indirect display of disposable income. Since the growth of plastic production in the 1950s, over 11 billion metric tons of plastics have been generated. Between the 1970s and the 1990s, the generation of plastic waste more than tripled. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), we produce more than 400 million tons of plastic waste every year.

Plastics are created from raw materials such as petroleum, wood, and coal fossils. Recycling plastics is a process where certain plastics are cleansed, shredded into flakes, and melted into pellets for new production. Recycling plastics may seem like the solution to plastic pollution, but let us take you through a few reasons as to why science shows us recycling is not the most viable solution.

1. Most of the items you put in the recycling bin do not actually get recycled

Many people think that when a plastic item marked with the arrow symbol is put in the recycling bin, it will eventually be recycled. However, that is incorrect. According to a report by Beyond Plastics, in 2021 the U.S. had a recycling rate of 5-6% for “post-consumer plastic waste”. The plastics that are not recycled will end up in the landfill, incinerated, or in our natural waterways. These chasing arrow symbols are very misleading, as plastic products come in a variety of compositions, and not all are recyclable.

Plastic items that are made with different densities, layers, or plastic types cannot be recycled together. For instance, a plastic hand soap bottle that contains a metal spring and pump would not be recycled because sorting and separating them proves a difficult task for machinery or workers at recycling facilities. In many cases, the machinery is not available to separate layers of plastic, and investing in upgraded equipment involves increased costs, making recycling efforts unattractive to manufacturers who do not envision yielding any profit.

Furthermore, light-colored plastics are easier to recycle because their material can be dyed for repurposing. Conversely, black plastics cannot be re-dyed, thus making them unattractive to manufacturers. Additionally, black plastics are seldom recycled because their dark color does not register with the light scanners that are used to sort plastics at recycling plants.

One of the most commonly recycled plastics around the world is high-density polyethylene (HDPE), mostly seen in items such as shampoo bottles, milk bottles, freezer bags, and ice cream containers. Another commonly recycled plastic is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is used in fabrics like permanent press polyesters, as well as in packaging for foods and beverages (think disposable water bottles). Since plastic degrades every time it is recycled, it only ends up getting recycled once or twice in its lifetime, at best.

Though many plastics products we encounter in our daily lives have a recycling symbol on the packaging, the symbol does not guarantee that the plastic product will be recycled. This image notes what each arrow means, alluding to the greenwashing that has been generated surrounding recycling.

2. Manufactures still choose to use new plastics over recycled plastics

Today, we produce 400 million tons of plastic waste every year. Of this, 36% of the plastics produced are for packaging, including single-use plastic products for food and beverages. Virgin feedstock accounts for 98% of the packaging produced. Also known as fossil fuels, virgin feedstock makes plastics from previously unused materials, which takes a heavier toll on the environmental impact.

Furthermore, in 2017, China put a ban on most foreign recyclables, exposing an inadequate recycling system in U.S. waste management facilities. The process of recycling plastics includes collecting, sorting, transporting, and reprocessing. The costs involved in the combination of steps make recycling efforts more expensive than making new plastics out of fossil fuels. This cost disparity translates to companies having fewer incentives to use recycled plastics, as many simply choose the cheaper method. For example, in 2021, the U.S. average price for virgin HDPE was around 50 cents per pound. In contrast, the price for recycled HDPE after processing and transportation was almost double - nearly $1 per pound.

The prices listed below reflect what is paid for post-consumer recyclable materials that have been sorted, bound in a baled format, and picked up at most major recycling centers. As virgin plastics pricing continues to fall, more manufacturers begin to abandon recycled resin, sending recyclable materials to landfills and opting to use virgin plastics because they are significantly cheaper. In such cases, companies favor economic benefits over environmentally sound actions.

3. Plastics and microplastics remain dangerous materials to human health and wildlife

Plastics are constantly spewing out chemicals that are known to be hazardous to human and animal health. For instance, when plastics are discarded into ecosystems, some animals will mistake plastic as food. Even when plastics are not consumed by wildlife, their material will break apart into microplastics and eventually enter our bodies through the air, food, and water.

When plastics get shipped away to be “recycled”, their removal often involves illegal dumping and burning of plastics, endangering the people in surrounding areas. Such practices are also known as waste colonialism. The workers who are most involved with plastics waste are also exposed to high risks of cancer, infectious diseases, and respiratory problems.

Recycling plastics also involves incinerators which release toxic chemicals and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. According to the Tishman Environment and Design Center, 4.4 million people in the U.S. are exposed to pollution from waste incinerators, 79% of which are located in low-income communities and communities of color.

The solution - reusables

According to the UN Environmental Program, continued use and pollution of plastics will increase to 19% of the global carbon budget by 2040. The complex thresholds to actually recycle plastic indicate that it is practically impossible, which means it is necessary to switch to long-term alternatives: reusables. Using reusable packaging and products will reduce environmental impacts because they can be used repeatedly, whereas plastic products and their packaging have a finite period of usefulness; once they are discarded, their impact on the environment will long outlast their short-term convenience.

Compared to single-use packaging, reusable packaging accounts for:

Globally, businesses must reassess the consequences of their choices and purchasing habits and start aligning their priorities with products and supply chains that prioritize sustainability, the environment, and our health. Switching to a circular model, through the use of reusable materials, not only benefits the environment, but also provides customers with an indispensable experience that will catalyze change.