The Truth about Recycling

You heard it growing up: “Put your soda can in the recycling bin.” “Make sure that newspaper doesn’t go in the trash. Place it in the box.” “Leave glass bottles in the garage for us to take to the recycling center in the morning.” We grew up recycling everything we possibly could—both at home and at school—in order to do our part in protecting the environment. But how much did we help the environment by recycling?

Myth Versus Fact

Approximately 82 million tons of trash is taken to recycling centers every year by people living in the United States.

One of the main reasons we were pushed so hard to recycle growing up is because we were scared into thinking we were running out of landfill space. At least that is what they told us back in the day. Truth is, we have places for landfills. Many towns are eager to house a landfill, too, because of the revenue it can bring in for them. However, there are places in the United States where space is getting tight—such as Alaska and North Carolina—to name a few.

Also, recycling plastic takes time and effort—which is a “waste” to say the least, since most of the plastic ends up back in the trash anyway. This is because most landfills do not accept these plastics. However, this should be changing soon, if it has not already. Also, recycling seems to cost more than just taking the items to the trash in the first place.

Then, there is the issue of the “rules.” There seem to be so many rules of what can be considered recyclable or not, and what can go in the same bin as what. This tends to make the whole process even more complicated.

But, the choice is up to you. In the end, it seems recycling may not help—but it may not hurt either.