If there's one thing 2020 has taught us, it's that it's never too late to rethink old habits. If you haven't hit your New Years resolutions quota yet, here's an option to throw into the mix: better recycling habits.


Today, America is the largest waste producing country per capita in the world (4.9 lbs/person/day, totaling 268M tons/year). We represent 4% of the global population but generate 12% of global municipal solid waste (MSW). Sadly, we have one of the lowest recycling rates out of the OECD -- a mere 34% -- compared to Germany's 65%.

 

Recycling was born in the late 1960s as a counterbalance to the post WWII boom, a time when factories kicked into high gear to produce large quantities of "consumable", single-use products to meet rising consumer demand. While the early adopters of recycling could more easily be classified into the green hippie type, recycling adoption picked up in the '90s as cities switched to single-stream recycling and developed curbside pickup infrastructure.

 

However, the era of easy recycling may be coming to an end.  In late 2017, China announced policy initiative Operation National Sword, banning the import of many scrap materials and the majority of plastics. More precisely, China raised its import standards to require contamination <0.5%. By contrast, in the US, 25% of recycling is contaminated (i.e., 1 in every 4 recycling trucks is forced to dump contents into a landfill). As other Asian countries followed suit, the global market for recycling quickly collapsed, leaving Americans and other Western countries with waste management facilities building up stockpiles of recycling and other waste products with no destination in sight.

 

In the US, we now face a dire situation in our waste markets. Landfills are on track to run out of space within 18 years, yet single-use materials are at an all time high due to fracking enabling cheap virgin prices.

 

So, what can we do?

 

At the government level, there are several regulatory tools and policy options available to nudge us in the right direction if the coordination and funding falls into place. Ultimately, many of these will need to be tested at a smaller scale before rolling out at the city, state, or federal level. Some examples include:

  • Mandate a switch from single-stream to source-separated (dual or multi-stream) recycling. Several cities across the US have already rolled out some version of this, which typically requires separating out fibers (i.e., paper) from containers and glass. In 2019, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 815, legislation that encourages municipalities switch from single-stream to dual-stream recycling programs. Previous research has shown that this will increase the value of recyclables and may not adversely impact recycling rates 

  • Use taxes to correct for market imbalances. Money is often an effective motivator. Plastic bag bans or surcharges are becomming more and more common across the US. We could also tax trash by weight, or create credits for repairing used items

  • Shift waste management responsibility upstream. A handful of countries (Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Australia) leverage some form of an extended producer responsibility (EPR) policy approach, which shifts the onus of recycling upstream in the product lifecycle to the producer (e.g., manufacturers or brand owners) and away from municipalities and general taxpayers. Often this results in creation of collection sites allowing recovery of end-of-life products

  • Expand circular economy programs. Private companies are rethinking our relationship with single-use products. TerraCycle is a leader in the zero waste movement, working with companies to turn hard-to-recycle materials like solo cups into new products and create a refillable packaging service. Many cities have also emerged as leaders in this effort. In Fairfax County, VA, a pilot program is testing the viability of using a mix of recycled materials to construct and repair failing roads. Austin has created an interactive map of businesses operating with circular economy principles

  • Invest in innovation. Many new technologies for waste processing are being developed today with wide-ranging applications, including novel ways of decomposing trash (incineration, chemical processing, and biological treatment) as well as robotic sorting

 

As individuals, we also need to do our part to become conscious consumers and disposers of what we consume. All it takes is a small shift in habits to reduce waste. Here's a quick and easy 2021 challenge that stands even the test of COVID-19:

  • Say no to plastic utensils and straws when picking up takeout. Most online ordering platforms allow you to specify this when placing an order
  • Bring re-usable bags to the grocery store. Many cities have started to implement plastic bag surcharges, and chains like Trader Joe's go further by offering a BYOB (bring your own bag) discount
  • Buy higher quality, built-to-last clothing. Freecycle or donate clothing you are no longer usin
  • Reduce food waste. A shocking 30-40% of the food supply is wasted. Do your part by only buying what you need, freezing food before it goes bad, and composting the rest. It's a win-win!
  • Adopt better recycling habits. Always recycle alumnium, steel, #1/#2 plastics, cardboard, and newspapers assuming they are not contaminated. For other plastics, see this table below as a helpful reference, though it's recommended that you take a look at your local guidelines periodically as recommendations may change

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are there other ideas that you've seen be effective? Please comment below or reach out - we would love to hear from you!

 

Sources: EPA, Global Citizen, Bloomberg, Rockefeller Institute of Government, World Bank, Fairfax County, CA.gov, Earth911