Super fact 32: The common perception that recycling is one of the best things you can do for the environment is an exaggeration. Its impact is often not very large and if not done properly it can be counterproductive.
In general recycling is beneficial, because you conserve natural resources, reduce climate change, save energy and reduce waste and pollution. Battery recycling is particularly important since it reduces toxic waste and reduces the risk of a future shortage of certain minerals. Recycling is often viewed as a very important activity that everyone should participate in, and neighbors often shame those who fail to comply.
The shocking news is that even though recycling in general is good for the environment it may not be as beneficial as it is assumed. It turns out to be complicated. As you will see later, most people think that recycling is the most impactful action you can take as an individual to reduce carbon emissions, when in fact it is of very marginal importance. This is what made me consider this a super fact.
Recycling and Greenhouse Gases
According to EPA recycling saves 193 million metric tons of carbon emissions, which sounds a lot until you consider that the US emit 6,343 million metric tons per year according to EPA making it 3%. According to this website consumers can save 732 kilograms of CO2 assuming they do the recycling correctly. This should be compared to the average carbon footprint for an American (US), which is 16 metric tons, making the savings for good recyclers 4.6%.
According to our World in Data (Not the End of the World page 114), based on this research, giving up an average SUV for a sedan would save 3.6 metric ton, or 22.5%. Switching to a plant-based diet would save 2.2 metric ton per person, or 13.8%. Actions saving more greenhouse gases than recycling that we as consumers can take, are for example: give up SUV, go car free, have a plant-based diet, avoid transatlantic flights, buy green energy, switch to electric car, switch from electric car to no car, avoid medium flights, laundry in cold water, and hand dry clothing.
Surveys across 21,000 adults in 30 countries showed that the two actions that people believed saved the most greenhouse gases were recycling (59%) and upgrading lightbulbs (36%). Upgrading lightbulbs have an even smaller effect than recycling. It is of course still a good action to take.
However, what this data demonstrates is that we are bad at guessing which actions are impactful. We need to get better informed and not make assumptions. It should be noted that the efficiency of the recycling efforts varies from country to country. Among the 32 developed countries for which there is data the United States ranks 25.
Recycling and Plastic Waste
Greenhouse gas emissions is certainly not the only issue to consider. What about plastic waste? As it turns out plastic is very difficult to recycle (depending on the kind of plastic) and according to the EPA less than 9% of plastic is recycled. According to Our World in Data and the book “Not the End of the World” by Hannah Ritchie the US and Europe have well managed landfills and good waste management systems that make our plastic problem less of an issue. That’s good news.
But what about the awful problem with plastic in the ocean? Plastic ending up in the ocean is indeed a bad problem. However, 81% of all plastic in the ocean come from Asia, and the rest mostly comes from Latin America. Only 1% come from the United States and 1% from Europe and Oceania. According to Scientific American 93% of plastic in ocean come from just 10 rivers. Eight of them are in Asia: the Yangtze; Indus; Yellow; Hai He; Ganges; Pearl; Amur; Mekong. Two are in Africa – the Nile and the Niger.
None of them are in North America or Europe. Therefore, if we in the developed world greatly improve our recycling of plastic, it would not make much of a difference with respect to the problem of plastic in the ocean. What we need to do is assist China, India and southeast Asia with improving their waste management systems.
Another issue to keep in mind is that uneducated consumers can do a lot of damage to the recycling process. For example, throwing a greasy pizza box into the recycling bin can ruin the entire batch. You are not just recycling incorrectly you are ruining the recycling efforts of your neighbors too. There are many ways to ruin the recycling process, by throwing items in the recycling that don’t belong there. Recycling requires consumers to pay attention to the instructions. It should also be noted that some companies have been found to ignore the recycling process and throw all recycled items in with the trash. There are also neighborhoods that don’t have recycling.
Conclusion
In summary, recycling may not be as great as it is often made out to be. You should still do it if you care about the environment. Just be aware that there are actions that you can take and that your government can take that are much more impactful.
One of the conclusions you can draw from this discussion is that if you are driving a big SUV or eating red meat every day you should probably abstain from shaming your neighbor for not recycling.
To see the other Super Facts click here
Newstrade
“Reduce” and “Reuse” are better than “Recycle.” You’ve suggested what we can reduce, and I appreciate the numbers that back that up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is an excellent way of putting it. Thank you for mentioning that Audrey.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The slogan goes “Reduce, Reuse and then Recycle, but it seems our recycling bins are always full, despite being collected every week. It’s a little disappointing to learn this has less of an impact than most of us assumed. I wonder why European countries are so much better at it than North American ones? Canada is even lower than the U.S., I see. My husband I and both drive old, 4 cyl. Ford Focus cars. They get excellent gas mileage, but if I had to buy a new vehicle, I’d choose a hybrid, because we don’t have enough charging stations here to make electric ones practical yet. Can’t imagine getting along without a car, but, I suppose one can get used to that, if necessary. We haven’t flown anywhere since 2018 and have no immediate plans to do so. As for a plant based diet – sorry, too unappetizing! We don’t eat a lot of red meat, but would definitely miss seafood and poultry.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would certainly never tell anyone what choices to make. I just think it is good to know what those choices mean for the environment in case you want to take that into account. The information is confusing, and people have been so misinformed about it and that is a problem. It is difficult to drive and EV in Texas too, so we have a hybrid. In Sweden it is much easier to have an EV, and the grid is fossil fuel free, and no one has to do anything special for that, and the recycling is very effective and set up for you. It is not that easy for us. On occasion I eat red meat. The average American eat 57 pounds of red meat per year. I eat maybe 5 pounds per year and that is a 90% reduction compared to the average. Poultry and most fish have a much lower carbon footprint than red meat. So, I think that switching to a plant-based diet is a bit extreme. I think you should go for the low hanging fruit first, meaning do the easy and effective stuff first, before you think about anything that has a negative impact on the enjoyment of life. It is not good to do what is difficult and ineffective first because you incorrectly think it is effective.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! 57 pounds of red meat is a lot. Most people I know do love their steaks… That article about the pizza boxes was enlightening. We don’t eat it very often, but have been guilty of putting the entire box in the bin. We’ll do better next time. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes my collegues at work drove to work in big trucks and SUVs and they were alone in their trucks/SUVs driving a couple of hours on highways every day, and I know they ate a lot of red meat, and almost none of them cared about the environment, and my company flew people overseas in business all the time (including me), so before feeling guilty just consider that. The opportunities for improvements are great.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That sounds stereotypical for Texas, especially with the red meat. 🙂 Hopefully, people will come around to a better way of living, eventually.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are right Debbie. It is Texas after all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Incredible, Thomas. We do recycle although, as you pointed out, it’s not as easy as it looks. We also have a compost pile in the back yard.
Recycling here in SA is also a source of employment and income for many.
I’m with you on the red meat consumption. My diet is 90% plant and fruit based but for different reasons. Well, can’t speak for the teens busy growing… 😉
Great article.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your kind words Patricia. I think that is great and I am impressed by the compost pile. Comosting is one of the things that Sweden does well. You put left overs in a special bin and the local government takes care of the composting for you.
LikeLike
Hi Thomas, I applaud you for this article. Another thing is a lot of trash from the UK is shipped to other countries and is never recycled at all. What you say about long haul flights and red meat is true and I get fed up with the recycling hypocrites too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for your kind words Robbie. I read about the trash being shipped and not really recycled but the article was getting long enough. But that is a good point.
LikeLike
Interesting, Thomas! I had always wondered if they really “did” anything when it comes to recycling. I, myself, try not to waste so much and try to reuse as much as I can, I definitely hate waste!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes the best is not to waste to being with. Not buy food you are not going to and not buy stuff you don’t need etc. Recycling is beneficial but based on the surveys people greatly overestimate its benefit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kind of sad news here, Thomas. I recycle, but what actually gets recycled in the end, I know, is a low percentage. Pollution is a major concern, but my hope is that communities don’t want to drink, breath, swim, and play in garbage, so it will remain under control for the most part.
Reuse/reclaim/repurpose (a form of recycling) is something I can do that I think makes a difference – at least in the amount of garbage I am responsible for creating.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes this article was about recycling as using recycling bins but the best is if you can reuse what you buy yourself and not buy stuff you don’t need or won’t eat. Pollution is certainly an important issue.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I understood the point of the article. I wish there were more standards for product packaging so recycling was a no brainer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes you are right. That would really help. Thank you Diana.
LikeLike
I remember learning all this in one of my classes in uni and was saddened by it. Thank you for sharing this information. It’s a sad fact but nonetheless a fact people should be aware of.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Pooja. Like you say, it is hardly information that is unknown to those who have been educated and yet so many people don’t know about it and they have the wrong impression.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I think that’s the biggest issue. And I feel it would help so much if we were taught from an early age how to recycle properly instead of that we should recycle. Because like you said if we choose to recycle we should do it properly otherwise there’s no point of it.
LikeLike
Yes you are right Pooja. Recycling is not very effective in the US at the moment but it certainly could be much more effective is done right.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent… I am all for recycling, we recycle paper, glass, tin, and plastic… Along with our veggie waste back into compost… 🙂
Wishing you a great new week Thomas xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Sue. Compost is a great idea. I wish you a great week too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much Thomas xx
LikeLiked by 1 person