In a continuation from upcycling, recycling has been deemed as the better option, yet again to be disappointed from facts that have often been left out. Many environmentally conscious consumers do their part in sorting and recycling their waste at the curbside, however, the processes that occur once the recyclables are out of the consumers sight have to be traced and made known to consumers.
Only a small fraction of what we put into recycling bins, actually gets recycled, between 1950s to 2015, only 9% of all plastic waste generated was actually recycled, 12% are incinerated, and the remaining 79% are dumped into landfills or into the environment (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2018). Large portions of plastic waste recycled were exported to third world countries like Cambodia and Vietnam, most of which gets accumulated and pollute their environment.
What was imported to be recycled by third world countries, ended up on the curbsides. From the curbsides of developed nations, to the curbsides of less-developed nations. Every month, approximately 260 tons of plastic waste was exported from the US to seaside town of Sihanoukville in Cambodia, where no proper systems are in place to deal with these imports, resulting in streets and beaches to be covered with plastics (Peren, 2019).
As consumers, having the knowledge of a product’s life cycle is important, understanding the production network provides accountability and responsible production practices and consumption, and understanding the end of life cycle is equally important. Amongst the 3Rs, reducing would have to be the top contender when it comes to sustainable living, using less is always best!
References
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2019). Facts and Figures about Materials, Waste and Recycling. Retrieved from: https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data#PlasticsTableandGraph
Peren, N. (2019, June 17). Where does your plastic go? Global investigation reveals America’s dirty secret. The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/17/recycled-plastic-america-global-crisis