The most effective and environmentally-friendly way to reduce waste is not to create it in the first place. Creating products that are recyclable or making a conscious effort to recycle waste correctly are not the final answer to the huge waste issue. The real solution is to consume less in order to promote responsible use and reuse of resources while managing waste in a way that protects the environment. Even though there is a growing consumer market motivated by environmental concerns, most consumers will prioritize convenience and value. Therefore, the most powerful weapon against waste is to change consumers’ needs and habits.

Photo Source: TerraCycle

Despite the technological advances and innovations made within the recycling industry, there are still many materials that are difficult to recycle. With new products being introduced in the market every day, recycling programs struggle to keep up. The key issues are the complex design of products, the mixing of materials, and the use and properties of these materials. (National Geographic)

Photo Source: TerraCycle

Products made of mixed materials are hard to recycle because materials need to be isolated to be effectively processed and reused. An example of a mixed-materials product is water bottles, which use different types of plastics for the body and cap - one is recyclable and the other is not. When these elements are disposed of together, they become hard to recycle, as existing recycling programs are unable to separate them without resorting to expensive human labor.

Even if the difference between the materials is obvious, the extra step to separate them and sort them into specific bins can be a barrier for some individuals, which results in the consumers simply disposing of the entire bottle in the same recycling bin. Another example is padded envelopes. They are difficult to recycle because they are made of paper outside, but the inside padding is made of plastic. These are hard to separate and almost impossible to recycle. (4)

Photo Source: Amazon

Generally, a product's design is often the number one determinant of its recyclability. Contaminated products cannot be recycled, and if they make their way to recycling plants, they can have a negative effect on the equipment and the quality of the new products that are eventually produced. For example, toothpaste tubes are essentially impossible to recycle, as they are extremely difficult to empty completely, so the leftover toothpaste contamination becomes a huge problem for recycling facilities. (4) Items such as cigarette butts, toothbrushes, and diapers are usually not recycled because it costs too much to do so - this is an economic problem, which has nothing to do with the items’ chemical properties. (5)

Plastic is another difficult material to recycle since there are many different types, and some can be recycled and some cannot. Plastics are classified into 7 categories and only two of them are commonly recycled. (6) The recycling of different types of plastic is expensive and involves low-quality outcomes and a large carbon footprint. Some types are also difficult to recycle due to their toxicity, such as the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) used for sewage pipes - these can be recycled; however, their recycling process is expensive and generates high levels of chlorine. (4)

Photo Source: TerraCycle

The most effective and environmentally-friendly way to reduce waste is not to create it in the first place. Creating products that are recyclable or making a conscious effort to recycle waste correctly are not the final answer to the huge waste issue. The real solution is to consume less in order to promote responsible use and reuse of resources while managing waste in a way that protects the environment. Even though there is a growing consumer market motivated by environmental concerns, most consumers will prioritize convenience and value. Therefore, the most powerful weapon against waste is to change consumers’ needs and habits.

Photo Source: TerraCycle