‘Why did you put this in the bin?’ This is the question I often ask my husband, who doesn’t recycle things as he should. And it turns out he is not alone. According to the statistics of European countries contributing most to recycling household waste, the UK ranks 21 out of 28 countries, which is a poor ranking for a developed country. And when I ask people I know, most people think recycling is important, but they don’t act on what they believe. So that makes me wonder what prevents people from doing what they should.
It’s too much hassle
This reason might sound ridiculous, but this is the main reason for my husband. In our house, the main bin is in the kitchen, and our recycling bin is in the utility room. So for him, it’s too much hassle to walk from the kitchen and put the recyclable waste in the recycling bin in the other room.
Solution
Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for this. If you’re the only person who recycles in your household, then you need to keep an eye on other people when they’re about to throw stuff into the regular bin. Ask and remind them if the things are recyclable, or put some sticky slogans about recycling on the bin to remind them to recycle.
It’s time-consuming
There are things you can just put in the recycling bin directly, such as newspapers, white office paper, envelopes and greeting cards (without glitter). However, most recyclable items should be emptied and cleaned before throwing them into the recycling bin. For example:
- cereal boxes: make sure boxes are empty of cereal. I also always fold the boxes to make them smaller.
- food tins & plastic containers: I’d clean and dry them in the sink overnight before putting them in the bin the next day.
- foil trays: I ensure I get rid of all the food scraps on the trays, clean them, and dry them, too.
- glass bottles & plastic bottles: I ensure there’s no liquid in the bottles.
- jars: those might be the most challenging items to clean. For example, peanut butter or Nutella jars always have things stuck on the jar. So, I try to use up every bit of the jar before cleaning them. Soak them in hot soapy water for a while and clean them with a long handle bottle brush. Dry them as well before putting them in the bin.
So, as you can see, the tasks above for some people can be considered time-consuming!
Solution
You aren’t required to clean recyclable items as thoroughly as you’d clean your dishes/cups/cutlery etc. Just follow the two steps below before putting the stuff in the recycling bin.
- Check no food scraps/liquid are in the containers or on the foil trays.
- Give them a quick rinse before putting them in the bin.
So, you know nothing in your recycling will spill out, cause contamination and even attract rats when leaving your recycling bin outdoors.
The recycling system is confusing
The universal recycling label, the Mobius loop, was introduced in 1970 in the USA, but not until 2003 did recycling become mandatory in the UK. The Household Waste Recycling Act 2003 requires local authorities in England to provide each household with a separate collection for recyclable materials. Since then, many more recycling symbols have been added, but for most people, they are also the cause of confusion.
‘Can I recycle this?’ This is the question we often ask ourselves. The rule depends on where you live. Unfortunately, most of us didn’t want to spend time understanding those rules. So it leads to something called aspirational recycling. According to Wiktionary, aspirational recycling is ‘setting aside materials for recycling that are not actually recycled by one’s garbage collection service’. Some people might also call it ‘wishful recycling’.
If you’re an aspirational recycler, please stop doing that. Even if your intention is good, putting non-recyclable materials into a recyclable bin can lead to contamination. In fact, the rate of recycling contamination has doubled in recent years. And those contaminated items destroy a whole load when they end up in the same recycling truck or facility. In other words, they’ll be going to landfill sites instead of being recycled and reused; this is the worst scenario for those who diligently sort their recycling!
Solution
Watch the video below to learn the basic rule. You can also read through the informative guides here. If you live in the UK, each year, your local council will send you a rubbish and recycling guide by post, or you should be able to find it on your local council website. Follow the guide when you sort your recycling.
If you’re still unsure, check the Recycle Now site. All you need to do is to key in the item you want to recycle and your postcode, and then the site will tell you whether it is recyclable. Lastly, if you’re still in doubt, leave the item out because non-recyclable goods can ruin yours AND others’ recycling efforts.
It’s someone else’s responsibility
People who have this kind of mentality might think since everyone else is doing recycling, it doesn’t matter if they don’t do it. But, unfortunately, if everyone is thinking alike, then nothing good will happen. Recycling is a collective responsibility, from individuals and organisations to governments, regardless of where you were born and live.
The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.
Robert Swan, Author
If we all recycle correctly, the recycled material can be reused without cutting down more trees, using a large amount of energy or more natural resources to produce new goods. Last but not least, we can stop recyclable materials from ending in landfills, eliminate waste, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, we aren’t only doing good for ourselves, future generations, and the Earth, the only place we can call home.
Solution
Next time you hear someone doesn’t think recycling is their responsibility, just ask if they have been a consumer. And if the answer is yes, then help them realise that if they are consumers, they’ve bought something and produced some waste. Therefore, something must be recyclable among all the wastes they’ve created. So they should learn to take responsibility and start recycling now!
If you don’t feel like lecturing your friends/family members about recycling, then share this 2-minute video here with them so they can learn the importance of recycling themselves.
It’s not habitual for some people
I’m fortunate to grow up in a family that values recycling very much. When I was little, I learned the importance of recycling from my mom, and I always helped her to take the recyclable items to our local recycling centre. During my childhood, kerbside recycling wasn’t a thing, so the only way to recycle our household wastes was to take them to the recycling centre. So recycling became a habit for me as I grew up with it.
Yet, it’s an entirely different scene for my husband, who didn’t grow up in a family that did any recycling. So having recycling habits in his adulthood became much harder.
Solution
It could take between 21 to 66 days to form a new habit. The exact time depends on various factors, e.g. people’s motivation, background, the resources they have access to and small or significant changes they need to make. To cultivate a recycling habit successfully, I would say focusing on the big picture that you are saving the planet by recycling correctly. Although it might seem like a small habit, it’s making a HUGE impact on the environment and the future of species and humankind.
Final thoughts
I must admit I am not a big believer in recycling because the recycling system in most countries is not as effective as it should be. However, I still diligently recycle and try not to buy goods I know can’t be recycled.
I think it would be more effective if we reduce what we buy and reuse what we have in the first place. Remember the 3RS: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Undoubtedly, there are many benefits of recycling, but to effectively tackle climate change and reduce all sorts of pollution, air, water, plastic pollution etc, it’s also vital to be a responsible consumer – buying less and reusing what you already have!
