Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Recycling Is Broken. Should I Even Bother?

Every little bit helps. But doing it wrong can actually make matters worse.

...When you do buy things, consider whether you can recycle the packaging. When choosing drinks, metal containers are generally better than plastics. When you shop online, you can sometimes ask for less packaging, as with Amazon's "frustration-free" option. And remember the first two Rs: reduce and reuse.

Although these are small things you can do, the reality is that recycling's challenges are systemic.

So, is it worth the effort?

In theory, every item you recycle can keep resources in the ground, avoid greenhouse gases and help keep the environment healthy. And that's all good.

"The value is in displacing virgin materials," said Reid Lifset, a research scholar at Yale's School of the Environment.

But here's the critical part: Don't wish-cycle.

Follow the instructions provided by your local hauler. If you throw in stuff they don't want, the effort needed to weed it out makes it less likely that anything will get recycled at all. nyt

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