Let’s face it: You hear about recycling being talked about all the time. You see the usual blue bins with the recycling logo on them, and you automatically know what that means.
However, along with the widespread awareness of recycling comes many misconceptions and misunderstandings. It’s even gotten to the point where people are speculating how effective recycling efforts actually are. Plus, there’s even a growing debate on whether certain materials are acceptable for recycling. The list goes on!
So, to save you from misconceptions, and to better inform you about recycling, we’ll uncover 5 of the most common myths to date. It’s time that we expose the truth about each myth today! Let’s jump right in!
1. Materials Are Only Recycled Once
“While this myth is true for plastic, other material like metal can actually recycled over and over again without degrading over time,” says Kaitlyn Piesse, a tech blogger at Australian reviewer and Academ advisor. “You can also recycle glass more than one time. Now, with plastic water bottles, they can be broken down into plastic pellets which, in turn, can help create new clothing, upholstery, and other non-recyclable items.”
2. There’s No Need To Separate Trash From Recyclables
The truth is, you’re going to HAVE TO separate your trash from any recyclables. That’s why you’ll see two to three different bins outside people’s homes: garbage, recyclables (usually the blue bin), and organic waste (usually the green bin). Mixing trash with recyclable can cause recycling system issues (i.e. damaged machinery during the recycling process). So, don’t leave anything to chance!
3. Recycled-Material-Made Products Are Inferior
You may have heard about things being “made from recyclables”: shoes, clothes, etc. This trend has swept many industries, when it comes to creating products. However, many people are still skeptical about how effective recyclable-made products are.
The truth is, these products aren’t as inferior as one might think!
No longer are recycled products made in the upmost thinnest fashion as they were back then. Companies have learned from such mistakes, and have taken it upon themselves to re-think how we create recycled products. Not only is this a step forward company-wise, but many consumers are expecting more and more products to be made with recyclables. So, thanks to technological advances to create higher-quality products, there’s really no need to believe in the myth that such products are inferior.
4. You’ll Have To Sort Items Made Of Different Materials
A pet peeve that no one likes to do is waste time sorting items to recycle based on what materials they’re made out of. While sorting is helpful (and might be required in certain areas in the world), doing so is absolutely unnecessary.
When in doubt, check with your town or city on how to recycle effectively. Take note of whether your town or city:
- Requires you to separate paper products from the rest of your recyclables, OR
- Lets you place all recyclables in a single bin (the single-stream process)
In the single-stream process, items are picked up and taken to a material recovery facility (MCF) for workers to sort and process them to be made into recyclable materials. Typically, single-stream recycling is the more affordable option for taxpayers, and are in place in urban and suburban areas (i.e. places with higher property taxes).
5. Crumpled Bottles And Cans Aren’t Recyclable
“Like regular plastic bottles and aluminum cans, you can still recycle crumbled ones,” says Tahlia Mokare, a marketing writer at Via Writing and Writing populist. “The only time that you’ll need to keep the bottles and cans intact when recycling is if you take them to your local can recycling center.”
Ultimately, it’s up to you to determine whether or not to send bottles and cans to the recycle bin. Though, when in doubt, toss them in the trash.
Conclusion
Recycling is, by far, one of the most influential movements, when it comes to the environment. But, with that said, it can be easy to fall for the myths, such as these 5 that we’ve covered in this article.
Ultimately, based on our assessment, recycling is:
- Relatively easy to do
- Can do wonders in many industries, when it comes to creating high-quality products, AND
- Can save taxpayers time and money
So, whether you’re a homeowner, part of business management, or part of some other commercial property, it’s still important to abide by recycling rules set in place by your state and local waste management service.
Elizabeth Hines is a writer and editor at Resumention and Academized. She is also a contributing writer for Dissertation writing service. As a digital marketer, she helps companies and nonprofits improve their marketing strategies and concepts online. As a content writer, she writes articles about the latest tech and marketing trends, innovations, and strategies.
