Make sure you know what can actually be recycled

From as early as elementary school, we were correctly taught to minimize our negative impact on the environment. We were also told recycling is a fundamental way to do so. Somewhere along the line, however, in the hopes of teaching as many people as possible to recycle, its original purpose was lost.

Nowadays, many people feel a guilt trip, almost an anxiety, to recycle every last piece of their garbage. When the thought of what can actually be recycled creeps into our minds, most of us throw the object in question into the recycle bin and hope for the best. However, incorrectly recycling can hurt the reason to recycle in the first place.

The essential purpose of recycling is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that can hinder human health. The superfluous feeling of “doing one’s part” or “feeling green” comes secondary to preserving our quality of life.

The success of recycling comes down to its economic value. If companies cannot profit from reusing materials, they have no incentive to use recycled materials. Unfortunately, the market value for recyclables has decreased dramatically over the past eight years, as much as 45 percent in some areas.

The problem comes down to contamination and waste ending up in the wrong place. Waste management, which has more than 100 recycling facilities throughout the country, reports more than 16 percent of what is thrown away in recycle bins is unrecoverable, driving down the value of recycled materials.

Once thrown away, garbage does not magically disappear from the curbside. Haulers pick up recyclables and transport them to a facility that separates recycled materials to maximize profitability. However, all of this time and effort that must be diverted to remove something that can’t be recycled actually increases the cost of recycling and decreases the recyclables’ value. Rising costs have shut down recycling facilities, and lower values hurt the chances of businesses reusing materials.

If people want a legitimate reason to feel good about recycling, they must increase the value of their individual recycling bins. To do so, people must avoid contamination at all costs. As soon as paper becomes wet or handled with food, it cannot be thrown in the recycle bin. Although we were all taught from a young age how bad plastic is for the environment, plastics lids and containers from restaurants are not recyclable. There should be a number from the Society of Plastics Industry on every plastic product, and plastic usually can’t be recycled if the number is greater than two.

And for the love of former Vice President Al Gore, please stop recycling plastic bags. Even putting your recyclables in a plastic bag can be a huge detriment to the entire process. Not only are plastic bags not recyclable, but they can also get stuck in machinery at recycling facilities and bring the whole sorting process to a costly halt. Even if there is some sort of guilt from using regular trash bins, preventing a few non-recyclables from contaminating the recycling stream can help the overall process.

The solution is simple: People should only recycle what they are absolutely sure can be recycled.

In fact, it’s best to only focus on three types waste: aluminum cans, plastic bottles and cardboard boxes. By far, recycling aluminum cans significantly offsets more potential carbon dioxide emissions than any other recyclable material. Plastic bottles are easy to recognize, and Americans use a lot of them. And as shopping online continues to take over our lives, the cardboard shipping boxes in the waste stream does the same.

The first step was encouraging Americans to recycle. Now that the country has succeeded in the everyday American consciously thinking about what they throw away, it is time to shift toward educating Americans on recycling correctly.

Joshua Udvardy is a UF environmental engineering junior. His column focuses on science.