Oct 2018: Recycling 101

So, I'm assuming most folks have heard of recycling. Do we necessarily know why it is important, though? Do we also know that it is NOT the only solution to beating plastic pollution?

Although most public recycling collection programs began in cities across America around the 1990's, recycling advocacy efforts have not been widely accepted, even as environmentalism has grown. Further, only 34% of waste created by Americans is actually recycled each year, as of 2015.

One of the reasons this number may be so low is that smaller cities may find that recycling is more costly than dumping the materials in a landfill. However, there are several reasons why recycling is important. Put simply:

--Reduces contributions to one of only about 2,000 landfills in our country, an unsustainable solution to dealing with waste

--Reduces the total amount of plastic that you will require and use from the market system

--Reduces the volume of your trash can and saves you extra $$ on trash bags

From horizon-magazine.eu

Given these benefits, I highly encourage you to recycle and encourage others in your community! If you live in a big city, you might be able to find personalized recycling guidelines right here: Recycle By City

However, if your city is not listed there (like me), here is a general chart that can be helpful for sorting through what (typically) is recycled by a city recycling collection program!

From Environmental Action Group

Although recycling is not the perfect solution because it doesn't actually reduce the total amount of plastic produced, it is one of the many important actions that we must take while plastic is still highly prevalent in our society. Let's do our part together!

#recycle #recycling101 #reduce #reusereducerecycle