Confused about recycling? It’s not your fault - Shannon Odell
If you've ever looked at the bottom
of a disposable bottle or cup,
you've probably noticed this symbol.
Seeing this, many people assume the item
they’re holding
should be tossed in a recycling bin.
Yet many of these plastics are incapable
of being recycled at most centers.
In fact, of the 360 million tons
of plastic created worldwide each year,
only 9% is ever recycled.
So why are so few plastics recycled?
And what do these codes actually mean?
Our recycling problem is multi-layered,
beginning at production.
About 18% of plastics are made from what
is known as thermosetting polymers.
These plastics gain stability
through curing,
a process that hardens a material
by irreversibly crosslinking
its molecular chains.
The very properties that make
thermoset plastics so useful,
in that they keep their shape and
integrity under extreme conditions,
mean that they can’t be
broken down and rebuilt
by the vast majority of recycling plants.
Thankfully, most plastics
are thermoplastics,
which can be melted and remolded.
But this category encompasses
a variety of materials
with unique chemical structures,
weights, and properties,
all of which require
different conditions for recycling.
As a result,
only some of these thermoplastics
are accepted at most recycling centers.
Which brings us to our next problem:
the confusing code system.
Developed and introduced
by the plastics industry in 1988,
this code was presented as a way
to help consumers and facilities
sort their trash.
Each number indicates the material the
plastic is made of,
known as its resin.
Some resin numbers are recyclable
at most centers,
while others are not.
And yet, within this system,
all numbers are surrounded by the
universally recognized recycling symbol,
misleading consumers into thinking
that many unsalvageable plastics
have a chance at a second life.
And just because a technically recyclable
resin makes it to a recycling bin,
doesn’t mean it will continue its journey.
Plastics often contain multiple resins,
are mixed with dyes and additives,
or are affixed with difficult-to-remove
stickers and labels,
all of which can cause them to be rerouted
to the incinerator or trash bin.
In short, many companies don't design
packaging with recovery in mind.
Even under pristine conditions,
plastic resins can only be melted down
and remolded a handful of times,
as their polymers degrade with each use.
If all these issues make you feel
as if recycling plastics is infeasible,
you wouldn't be the first.
This reality was well known to the
plastics industry as early as the 1970s.
Despite their doubts
that widespread recycling
would ever be economically viable,
the industry threw millions of dollars
into ad campaigns.
Within the US, the plastics industry
quietly lobbied state governments,
leading a majority to adopt laws
requiring that plastics
bear the confusing resin codes.
And with this, the burden of “fixing”
the growing plastic waste problem
was pushed from the industry
onto the consumer.
Today, the situation
has only gotten worse.
The rising costs to properly separate
all this waste,
paired with fewer international buyers
of recyclable scraps,
has forced many cities to shut down their
curbside recycling programs altogether.
So how can we fix our growing
plastic waste system?
It’s clear that we must reduce
the plastics we consume.
More than a quarter of our plastic waste
comes from packaging materials.
Many manufacturers have taken steps
in the right direction,
phasing out unnecessary plastic films,
and switching out plastic tubs and tubes
with more easily recyclable materials,
or compostable options.
For the plastics that do remain,
one solution is to work
towards a circular economy for plastics.
This means creating fewer new plastics,
eliminating those that are single-use,
and ensuring the plastics that remain can
stay in circulation via recycling.
Such a system would rely on policies that
regulate plastics
starting at their production—
ensuring that all plastics created
are free from contaminants
that could harm their ability
to be recycled.
In the meantime, many experts believe
the current resin code system
should be eliminated,
and swapped out for clear, simplified
recyclable versus non-recyclable labels.
This would help consumers more easily sort
their waste, but more importantly,
allow them to make informed
decisions at purchase,
ultimately putting the pressure
back on manufacturers
to ensure a recyclable future.
