Grace Weems - Why the US Falls Behind on Recycling



Since we were children, we were told to recycle. We have constantly been told that recycling is helping the planet by producing less waste that will end up in landfills. So, if us Americans pride ourselves so much on recycling, why isn’t it actually working?
For one, not many cities in the US make it clear as to what exactly can be recycled. Many waste products are made up of mixed materials, some of which are recyclable, and some that are not. This causes confusion for many consumers as they are not aware of what specific materials can actually be recycled, causing materials that are not meant to be recycled to end up in the recycling bin. One example of this problem is the on NYC Sanitation website, which states that plastic jugs should be recycled. This statement is extremely vague and does not specify what types of plastics should be recycled. Also, many Americans are not aware that materials that are recycled must be dry, meaning that there is no liquid or food on or in the waste. When recycled products are thrown into the recycling bin with liquid or food on it, it can cause mold which can contaminate the surrounding products.
On top of that, recycling is more expensive than throwing waste into landfills. There has to be separate pick-up services and facilities to manage the recycled materials. In landfills, all waste is thrown in together. However, recycling facilities must sort through the waste and separate the different types of materials as well as throw out any waste that is not recyclable. In order to save money, many cities have cut down on recycling programs.
Despite these issues, recycling has steadily increased in most areas of the United States. These issues are able to be combated, as long as change is made.



Questions
  1. Are there other reasons as to why recycling isn’t working as well as it could be in the US?
  2. What are some ways to fix this problem?
  3. What countries are efficient when it comes to recycling?
Sources



Comments

Anonymous said…
It is interesting that even though we have always been told "reduce, reuse, and recycle", most of our recycling (or what little we do of it) doesn't really make that much of an impact anyway. In fact, other countries are doing a much better job at recycling than the US due to different policies they have implemented. For example, Scotland's government requires its citizens to presort waste collection, and local authorities provide households with recycling collection and waste treatment services.
May 4, 2019 at 11:47 AM
Anonymous said…
I found this article very interesting because from a young age I have been told by teachers to always recycle. But, what I never learned was that I had to be educated about recycling before I could participate. Recycling is very beneficial, but I did further research on the value of recycled material. Sources stated that in a North Carolina sorting facility, the recycled material started at a value of $188.82 in spring 2011 and dropped to $103.84 in the winter of 2016. Although recycling is very helpful for our environment there are many pros and cons.
May 4, 2019 at 9:02 PM
Anonymous said…
The fact that the United States is behind other developed countries is not surprising to me. Even now, as a senior in high school, I see people putting wrong things into the recycle bin or trash can all the time. In many of my classes, I see people throwing used tissues in the recycle bin while putting returned homework in the trash can. To combat this problem, more about recycling needs to be taught at a young age and repeated over and over until it sticks in peoples heads. In elementary school, I remember being told to recycle paper, plastic, metal, etc. However, what I was told was very vague, I didn’t know the specifics, like to empty a water bottle, among other things. Given my personal experience, it is understandable why the U.S. is behind, but more education is a easy solution to catch up to other countries.
May 6, 2019 at 6:31 AM
Anonymous said…
The attitude of “It’s okay that I am not smart with my waste disposal, everyone else will be” IS MY BIGGEST PET PEEVE. This lifestyle is very common among us in the U.S., and it shows in the numbers. Obviously, though, recycling is not the answer to all of our problems. Most industries worldwide are dependent on materials like plastic that are good for one use only, and a reduction in these sorts of material is how we can start to see a change in the rate we produce waste at.
May 6, 2019 at 7:25 AM
Anonymous said…
It was really interesting to learn in class how recycling should be our very last resort. I grew up believing that the number one way to fix all our environmental problems was to throw things that can be recycled in the recycling bin. A big part of why recycling isn’t the best option and shouldn’t be an instinct for us is that we just don’t know what we’re doing. Many people don’t know what can be recycled and some items are composed of recyclable and unrecyclabe materials. However, steps are being taken to educate people about the recycling and alternatives to recycling by posting signs that clearly indicate what’s recyclable and common goods that are recyclable. If we could educate people about more environmentally friendly was to deal with waste and how to properly recycle, we could be taking large leaps and bounds towards becoming more sustainable.
May 6, 2019 at 5:15 PM
Anonymous said…
It’s sad to think that, despite the advancements in recycling all around the world, the US is behind. I’ll confess, we have recycling bins all over where I work, but all the waste in those bins end up in the dumpster. I think one of the biggest problems we are facing is that people aren’t educated in what can be recycled, and if they are, they don’t care enough to follow through. Some people think that it’s okay for them not to care about recycling because everyone else does, but if everyone has that mindset it means that no one cares about the repercussions of not recycling properly. One way that people won’t need to recycle is to reduce the amount of disposable items they use and invest in things that are reusable.
May 6, 2019 at 5:19 PM
Anonymous said…
It’s Discouraging that the U.S. in behind on recycling despite being an industrial giant. Oftentimes, people don’t recycle because they believe others will basically do it for them and that it is not something they need to worry about. When people do recycle, it’s usually unproperly! American citizens need to be more aware of the benefits of recycling as well as which items are truly recyclable and under which conditions, the U.S. will be able to catch up to the rest of the world.
May 6, 2019 at 6:37 PM
Anonymous said…
This was a very insightful post! Upon reading, I found that Germany, Austria, and South Korea are among the top countries which recycle the most. It is strange that America is not high up on the list, especially since recycling always seems to be encouraged. I think the best way to fix this is to simply educate all Americans. Federal, state, and local governments should do their best to inform the public on what can and cannot be recycled, as well why we should recycle.
May 6, 2019 at 7:12 PM
Anonymous said…
In general, I feel Americans have an attitude of “I’ll do what I want” that holds us back when recycling. We don’t care about recycling that water bottle or cardboard box cause it’s more to think about and nobody’s stopping us. So while education helps, we will need to tackle that culturally-ingrained attitude in order to catch up to the rest of the world. However, hopefully our younger generations will get their act together and help us maximize the three R’s, and hopefully afterwards we can streamline our recycling methods.
May 7, 2019 at 6:12 AM
Anonymous said…
Often times, people ignore or fail to notice the fact that they comprise a nation of great stability and wealth, each moving and working in order to complete the entire country. Connecting to the article above, a majority of our population fail to acknowledge that whatever action we take, in terms of saving our environment, may be collectively significant. Although it may seem trivial from our own perspective, the effort that we create as a whole will largely impact our environment.
May 7, 2019 at 6:19 AM
Anonymous said…
Recycling is important in saving the Earth, but you are right; its not working. I wonder though, if the cities that have specific bins for each type of recyclable material are able to make recycling much more efficient. I have seen in town squares of medium sized cities and near the main squares of towns that use these different bins to help. When these bins are put in place, hopefully the people will also become more educated on what to recycle.
May 7, 2019 at 6:37 AM
Anonymous said…
It doesn't surprise me that the US falls behind in recycling. I think that we have all seen people put the wrong recyclable materials in the recycling bin. To me, the downfall of recycling is that it has a learning curve for people that want to participate in it, and it is very apparent that people simply haven't gotten that learning curve. It can sometimes become confusing where to put an item so people will sometimes just put the item in the trash out of frustration. We need to make efforts to educate people in recycling so that we can make a bigger difference than we are already making.
May 7, 2019 at 6:53 AM
Anonymous said…
The biggest problem that the U.S. is facing and the reason that it lags behind the world in recycling is because the majority of our fellow Americans don’t actually know what can be recycled and what can’t. We’ve all heard the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” slogan that inspires young children to recycle reusable items, but unfortunately, the majority of the population is unaware that items can be composed of both recycleable and nonrecycleable materials, and that including recycleable items with remnants of food waste, dirt, or small stones can contaminate and limit the process. A major difference that we can do would be to increase efforts of educating people about how and what to recycle. It seems simple, but education is the key to increasing awareness and encouraging proper recycling in America.
May 7, 2019 at 7:04 AM
Anonymous said…
I think it is interesting that the US has different recycling procedures than other countries. I wonder how much of that is due to the larger population, and different culture. For many years the United States has had a more disposable view of just about everything we use.
May 7, 2019 at 7:18 AM
Anonymous said…
Ever since I was a little girl I was always told to recycle. I did not know that the United States falls behind in recycling. Not only this, but we have different recycling laws. I feel that the United States falls behind on recycling because many citizens believe that others will compensate for their recycling so they just do not do it. I think the best way to encourage accurate recycling is through education.
May 7, 2019 at 9:47 PM
Anonymous said…
Recycling has the potential to be one of the most effective forms of reducing garbage production and helping the environment. Unfortunately, many people simply don’t care enough to recycle as much as they could, so even though most people say that they recycle, it’s not really effective. Many other countries, especially in Western Europe, are much better than the US at recycling and other environmental conservation methods, so the US has a long way to go in doing our part to save the environment.
May 8, 2019 at 11:45 AM
Anonymous said…
I think that recycling isn’t working as well as it could be in the US because of the convenience of buying and throwing away disposable items. Although “reduce, reuse, recycle” is a common classroom motto throughout the US, many people only know to throw any plastic or paper into the recycle bin. Raising more awareness about where, what, and how to recycle would be far more effective in increasing recycling practices, rather than simply telling children to recycle.
May 9, 2019 at 6:42 AM
Meredith Miller said…
When it comes to materials that are recycled incorrectly, no one knows where that material will go instead. It ends up in landfills anyways. While the developed world looks away from recycling and reusing products, environmentalists warn that we must curb our addiction to disposable items, from plastic cups to food containers and other items that we use once and throw away. Alternatives must be implemented in place of plastics and styrofoam.
May 9, 2019 at 6:57 AM
Anonymous said…
I think the key to successful recycling is education and investment in public resources. In California their recycling is extremely efficient because there are 4-5 different containers for each type of item that can be recycled (plastic, metals, paper, etc.). Furthermore, the containers have descriptions of what can be placed in each one and specifications about whether it can be wet or dry. If states around the adopted this system, the cost of recycling would be minimized by eliminating the need to sort.
May 9, 2019 at 9:17 AM
Anonymous said…
It’s really unfortunate that something so simple could become so troublesome at the same time! Ever since we were young, we’ve been told to reuse, reduce, and recycle. Unfortunately, “recycle” became a sort of “catch all” term without the specifics, and most Americans do not want to take the time to educate themselves on what can be recycled and what can’t. This is extremely unfortunate. I think that separating recycling containers would actually help this problem. Part of what makes us so hesitant to recycle is that we simply “don’t know,” and don’t want to take the time to find out. Through clearer instructions, we can raise our recycling rates in the US.
May 9, 2019 at 1:30 PM
Anonymous said…
Recycling isn't working in the US because there are no real incentives to recycle. Students are actively encouraged to recycle by their teachers and mentors, yet most still don't. This is because there are no actual incentives given to students to recycle. Basic incentives such as candy and chocolate after every times something is recycled is a good start, but this may lead to a form of conditioning; it is important to circumvent this and produce legitimate incentives. The awareness part is already widespread; it's time for successful incentives.
May 10, 2019 at 6:10 AM
Anonymous said…
This is an interesting post! Recycling should be a priority to the US because it a very large population that creates a lot of garbage. The best solution would be to get on it fast and start educating the population. The people need to know what they need to do, and once they’ll, they may be open to doing more. Sometimes it’s not a matter of I don’t want to than I don’t know how.
May 10, 2019 at 6:21 PM
Anonymous said…
I think the best way to make recycling more effective is to educate everyone on what can and can’t be recycled. At the beginning of the semester Ms. Westbrook got on to us about people throwing various unrecycleable waste into the recycle bins. She then instructed us to research what can and can’t be recycled before making the ultimate choice of which bin, and it worked. It was actually quite surprising to me on some of the things I’ve been recycling that very well would be better in a landfill. Shortly after, fewer and fewer unrecyable items showed up in the recycle bin.
May 11, 2019 at 12:06 PM
Anonymous said…
This article was very interesting and it taught me a lot about the environment. We have always been told by everyone around us that we always need to recycle. However, it seems that recycling isn't even that good because of how people can misuse it. We need to increase the education surrounding recycling in order to make sure that recycling is more specific and it actually contributes to our environment instead of taking away from it.

May 11, 2019 at 10:03 PM
Unknown said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
May 12, 2019 at 2:33 PM
Anonymous said…
Many times we are told to recycle, but it seems like it can become more of an issue if not done properly. We need to educate our schools and communities the importance and dramatic effect of pollution to push people to recycle. Most times people tend to try to recycle anything they can but the misuse of recycling and all of it ends up in landfills. Furthermore, many people do not think of the harm it can have on humans in the future and do without thinking. It really is a shame that this is a reoccurring issue and we must do something to stop it.
May 12, 2019 at 2:38 PM
Anonymous said…
This post was very informative. I believe that recycling hasn't been implemented in the US like other countries such as Singapore because there are no incentives or strict punishments for not doing it. Even though the phrase " reduce, reuse, recycle" is drilled into our heads in elementary school, I still see people who don't completely know how to properly recycle. I think our school system isn't properly teaching the specifics of recycling and that should change.
May 12, 2019 at 8:04 PM
Anonymous said…
Great post! In my opinion, I think that recycling has not been well adopted in the US because our recycling is just piling up in landfills instead of going somewhere. Before we would ship our waste to China, as they were the ones who used to be responsible for most of the recycling, but now that is not the case. Despite this, recycling has been an issue for a long time. The process was to take resources from the natural world, use them, then toss them and move on. As a result, there isn't really a good business model for recycling in America, which means few smart innovators have stepped in to make it better.
May 12, 2019 at 9:54 PM
Anonymous said…
This post was very interesting! It’s upsetting to think that despite all advancements, the UUS is the most behind in recycling. Recycling bins are often emptied into the dumpster. Not everyone realizes the importance of what you can recycle and follow through with it. It is not okay to disregard recycling due to everyone else not caring either. However, if we start reducing the amount of disposable items we use, we will no have to recycle as much.
May 15, 2019 at 11:53 PM
Anonymous said…
This was a really interesting post to read. Like most of my classmates have mentioned it’s disappointing to see that the US is the most behind on recycling, given all the education and push there’s been in the past. When I was in Korea a couple years ago, they take recycling very seriously and improper disposal of waste could result in fines. If one person was to change their ways of throwing away paper and other recyclables, it can inspire others to do the same.
May 16, 2019 at 6:25 AM
Anonymous said…
Several countries perform far better when it comes to recycling, compared to the United States. For example, Germany has the best recycling rate in the world, recycling about 56% of its municipal waste. Germany’s waste management success really is largely a result of strong government policy and its citizens embracing recycling. One government policy is the Packing Ordinance, established in 1991. This required manufacturers to take responsibility for the recycling of their product packaging after a consumer was finished using it. This included transportation packaging, secondary packaging, and primary packaging. Additionally, the Closed Substance Cycle and Waste Management Act, established in 1996, states that businesses need to avoid producing any waste, recycle what they do produce, and anything that can’t be recycled must be disposed of in an environmentally safe way.
May 17, 2019 at 8:43 AM
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