GREEN JUNCTION: RECYCLING IS PART OF OUR LIFE! BY JULIE PELLER, PH.D.
Posted on 7 April, 2024 by Richard Pütz
Green Junction
Recycling is vital to the multifaceted strategy required for dealing with our used stuff – our garbage. Much of our stuff should be viewed as valuable resources instead of garbage. Recycling is a way to keep those resources in circulation and reduce waste. According to the latest data (2018) tracked by the US EPA, Americans generated an average of about 5 pounds of trash each day, a value on an upward trajectory. In addition to recycling, waste can be diverted for composting, animal feed, bio-based materials, and other uses. Most waste is buried in landfills, many of which will reach their total capacity in the next few decades.
In 2018, over 30% of waste was recycled or composted in the United States; nearly 100 million tons of resources were kept in circulation. In comparison, about 39% of waste materials are recycled in Europe. Recycling reduces the amount of mining, the energy and emissions associated with mining activities, and the harm to the natural environment. Recycling and reuse are critical components of a circular material system, often termed a circular economy. In the future, a productive circular economy will involve redesigning many materials to keep the resources in circulation through recycling and reuse to reduce waste.
Suppose recycling is such an essential part of dealing with our garbage. Why are some municipalities no longer offering this service? According to the University of Colorado Boulder’s Environmental Center, a significant problem is a lack of education on how and what to recycle. When non-recyclable or contaminated/dirty recyclable materials are put in a recycling container at a significant level (~15% or greater – depending on the recycling company), the material is diverted to a landfill. The website for Homewood Disposal Service explains that “recycling wrong leads to contamination.” Their experiences indicate that Americans “over-recycle” by putting too many non-recyclable or soiled materials into their recycling bins. Overall, items in your recycling bin must be acceptable and adequately cleaned—more next week.
Julie Peller, Ph.D., is an environmental chemist (Professor of Chemistry at Valparaiso University ). She has been writing a weekly column called The Green Junction for the past seven years and is helping to move the call of Laudato Si to action forward. Her Research Interests are advanced oxidation for aqueous solutions, water quality analyses, emerging contaminants, air quality analyses, Lake Michigan shoreline challenges (Cladophora, water, and sediment contaminants), and student and citizen participation in environmental work.