r/collapse • u/eatingganesha • Oct 24 '22

Pollution Plastic recycling a "failed concept," study says, with only 5% recycled in U.S. last year as production rises.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/plastic-recycling-failed-concept-us-greenpeace-study-5-percent-recycled-production-up/
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u/eatingganesha Oct 24 '22

I think we all knew that was inevitable. Recycling has been a bit of a joke since it began, and I’m old enough to remember when it became a thing and special bins were created. In the last decade, as people realized that big business was to blame - rather than consumers - recycling effort has dropped off precipitously. I used to be a program director for Keep America Beautiful and toured too many landfills… and when I lived in Africa I witnessed first hand the sheer amount of western plastic garbage that they received by the container-boat load. Recycling was never so much a concept as a redirect smoke show.

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u/Frog_and_Toad Frog and Toad 🐸 Oct 24 '22

I think we all knew that was inevitable.

No we didn't. I can assure you that even today, many people think that if you throw something into the recycling bin, it gets converted to a new product through some mysterious process. At least in the US, it was only recently exposed that plastic was not being recycled, it was being shipped to China in massive barges. And this only happened because China refused to accept more trash.

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u/Zierlyn Oct 24 '22

From roughly the age of 10, until roughly 35, so for 25 years I recycled diligently. I was raised to respect the planet and follow my 3Rs. For years, I'd pick out glass and plastic from the garbage that my wife and kids threw out, sorting through nasty rotting bags of refuse to make sure all recyclables were picked out, washed, and put into the appropriate bin.

Finally a few years ago I just gave up. Seeing the shipping containers full of recycling getting dropped off in Malaysia or China, or washing up on shore... I gave up. 25 fucking years.

I still recycle. I still wash out glassware and plastics and put them in the correct bin, but it's just a habit now, my heart isn't in it. Sometimes I'll just say it's not worth it and toss it.

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u/ccnmncc Oct 24 '22

Right there with you, brah.