It depends on what kind of plastic we are attempting to recycle. Every community has different rules for what types of plastics they will collect. That recycling symbol on the bottom does not necessarily mean the item can be recycled in your area. Some cities collect only narrow-necked bottles. Others collect only #1 or #2. Most do not want plastic bags in the recycling bin because they can seriously interfere with the sorting machines (I’ve witnessed this problem first-hand). Some cities accept every kind of plastic, but then sort through it and send to the landfill anything for which there is no market. The theory is that the less sorting residents have to do, the more valuable material the town can recover. Unfortunately, this practice leads well-meaning citizens to believe their purchases are recyclable when in fact they are not.
Recycling is a business like any other. Curbside recyclers must find markets for the materials they collect. The biggest market for plastics is China, so most of our plastic is shipped overseas. Unfortunately, China doesn’t necessarily have the same standards of worker and community safety as we do, and towns like Lian Jiao have become toxic waste dumps for our plastic “recycling.” Sky News recently released a video showing the heartbreaking condition of this town that has become the waste bin of the western world. But with the recent downturn in the economy, the Chinese market has dried up, and as the New York Times reported in December 2008, much of our recycling is actually ending up in the landfill.
So what about the plastic that is recycled? Actually, plastic recycling is better referred to as “downcycling.” Plastic containers, for example, are not recycled into new containers but into other products like lumber or outdoor furniture. Even the plastic yogurt containers recycled by responsible companies like Recycline into toothbrushes and cutting boards are actually downcycled, since the manufacturers of the yogurt containers continue to extract virgin materials for their disposable products.
What’s the solution? Reducing our consumption of disposable plastic! Switching to reusable bags, bottles and containers are first steps to solving the plastic problem. Find more solutions and plastic alternatives at www.fakeplasticfish.com.
Sorting machine: Plastic bags and sheeting jam up the sorting equipment.
Baled plastic: Baled plastic waits at an Oakland, CA recycling center to be shipped overseas.
Shipped overseas: Cargo containers line up at San Leandro, CA's recycling facility are ready to carry most of the recovered material overseas.
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Beth Terry writes about finding alternatives to plastic and tracks her own plastic consumption and plastic waste at www.fakeplasticfish.com. Why Fake Plastic Fish? "Because if we don't solve our plastic problem, they could be the only kind of fish we have left." Please stop by and leave a comment!
