Recycling Redefined:
What Does Recycling Mean?

Recycling is a term that has gained widespread popularity over the years, with many of us eager to do our part to help the environment. For a long time, the common belief has been that tossing our waste into recycling bins is a sufficient contribution to fixing the climate crisis. However, we need to better understand the journey our waste takes after collection. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that a significant portion of recycled waste, potentially as much as 50%, still ends up in landfills. This contributes to our growing climate crisis and the pollution of our planet. For recycling to reach its full potential, we must rethink how materials are made in the first place, embracing circularity to extend their life. With the climate crisis escalating and new regulations being implemented, it’s time for a more honest and transparent definition of recycling, one that represents the true importance of material recovery and circularity.

The Evolution of Recycling: From Rags to Raw Materials

Recycling is the practice of collecting materials like plastics, paper, glass, and metals, and then sorting them to facilitate the creation of new products. By doing so, these materials can be re-purposed instead of piling up in landfills. This, in turn, reduces the need for new raw materials, the acquisition of which is often a carbon-intensive process. Whether it’s in doctors’ offices, schools, or at sporting events, you are guaranteed to see a recycling bin on the premises. While recycling might seem like a modern movement, it has been a practice for centuries.

In the 18th century, people were incredibly resourceful, often re-purposing clothing and using the cloth to make new garments, quilts, and more. By the 19th century, it was common for collectors to go door-to-door gathering old rags to make into paper. With the onset of World War I, recycling became essential due to shortages of raw materials. In both the United States and Europe, large-scale collections of metal, rubber, and paper were organised to aid the war effort. While these initiatives were resourceful, it wasn’t until the 1960s that the need for recycling became apparent as an environmental necessity, driven by growing concerns about the build-up of waste. By 1970, recycling bins were being implemented in populated cities, and by the late 70s, dedicated recycling plants were built.

Recycling vs. Recovery: Is Waste-to-Energy a Sustainable Solution?

While the term “waste-to-energy” is often mentioned in the same breath as recycling, it is crucial to understand that it is not a form of recycling. For materials that cannot go through the full recycling process, waste-to-energy provides an alternative path. This practice refers to converting non-recyclable materials into usable forms of energy, typically through incineration. While this limits the amount of waste sent to landfills, the materials are burned and can no longer be re-used. The core concept of recycling is to embrace circularity and recover valuable materials, reducing the need for virgin resources.

Circularity cannot be achieved through the waste-to-energy process. Although it helps manage municipal solid waste and reduces reliance on the direct burning of fossil fuels, it releases harmful carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to air pollution. In essence, it moves the landfill from the ground to the sky. This is a critical distinction when considering different forms of waste treatment.

The Waste Hierarchy Explained: A Framework for Sustainable Choices

To better understand the environmental impacts of waste, the European Union developed the “waste hierarchy” framework. It assesses and ranks waste management methods from most to least environmentally friendly. This hierarchy serves as an informative tool for governments, businesses, and individuals to make sustainable decisions. The waste hierarchy is as follows:

Prevention (Reduction)

The most sustainable outcome for our planet would be to prevent waste generation in the first place. While halting all production isn’t feasible, reducing the volume of materials produced is a practical solution. Researching and manufacturing more long-lasting, cleaner materials would significantly reduce the amount of waste we accumulate.

Re-Use

Re-using materials eliminates them from the waste stream entirely. For an item to be re-used, it may need to be properly sanitised or repaired, thereby increasing the product’s life cycle.

Recycle

Recycling gives materials a second life. By re-purposing them, we reduce the need for raw materials and promote the principles of a circular economy.

Recovery

Recovery is an option for materials that cannot be re-used or recycled but can undergo other processes, such as waste-to-energy.

Disposal

This is the least favourable option, reserved for when no other step is suitable. Materials are either incinerated without energy recovery before being sent to a landfill or disposed of directly into landfills.