We all want to do the right thing, but when it comes to recycling, if you are not doing it correctly, you could be doing more harm than good.
Most Americans want to recycle, recognizing that it helps reduce pollution and waste in their communities and supports economic opportunity and job creation,” but the nation’s average recycling rate of 30% shows there is a long way to go. The more that gets recycled means less scattered throughout the environment or ending up in the landfill. Additionally, governments and retailers are mandating the inclusion of recycled materials in products and packaging. In order to have the supply of recycled content necessary to meet these targets, we, as consumers need to feed the supply by getting all we can into the recycling bin. But even that can be a challenge.
What is collected & processed can widely differ depending on where you live and work. Recycling programs and what is and is not collected vary by municipality, so “doing the right thing” can be challenging and frustrating.
Fortunately, if you know some key information, you can improve your recycling no matter where you live.
Find out more about your recycling habits by taking this quiz.