Many have good intentions when it comes to putting out our recycling bins each week. Do you ever wonder where your recycling goes? While it is seemingly helpful, what happens with your bin after it gets picked up is out of your hands.
According to 2022 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 72% of plastic recycled ends up in landfills while 19% gets incinerated. On a global scale only 9% of plastic waste is recycled. While there has recently been a huge consumer push to reduce single use plastic, our past is catching up to us in the form of waste production with plastic consumption quadrupling in the last 30 years.
Adding to the sad reality of what happens to our curbside recycling, most town recycling programs do not accept soft plastics. These items include plastic mailers, grocery bags, and cereal bags—plastics that are flexible, thin, and can be scrunched into a ball. Often times these items just end up in the trash. You may be wondering, now what can I do?
There are sustainable solutions to divert these hard to recycle items from landfills. Check out our 3 ways to help you make a sustainable impact on the Earth that isn’t common recycling:
Curbside Pick-Up Recycling Service: We have partnered with TerraCycle to offer you an option for those items that are hard to recycle like clothing, soft plastic packaging and coffee capsules to mention a few. You can reference the below image to check out what we are able to help you actually recycle. You can check out our recycling program here. TerraCycle has the infrastructure ready to properly recycle these items so you can rest assured that what you recycle with us will not end up in landfills.
2. Compost Pick-Up Service: Our compost pick up service is a great way to divert waste from landfills as we cultivate all of our organic waste as well as can compost pizza boxes, napkins, paper towels, torn paper, untreated newspaper, matte cardboard as well as BPI Certified Compostable items like bags, utensils, cups etc. The waste you provide us gets used to make compost which in turn grows artisanal yield of produce on our farm as well as feeds our animals.
3. Store Drop-Offs for Hard-to-Recycle Items: You can drop off your hard-to-recycle items at various store locations. Look for items with a How2recycle label, collect them, and find a local drop-off location near you. Check where you can drop off your items here.
When it comes to living a sustainable life, it can be disheartening to know that so little of what we recycle actually gets recycled. We can either let it hold us back or you can feel empowered by the alternatives available to you that make it possible to make a positive change! It is Neighborhood Compost’s mission to be your go-to place for sustainable waste management and turn our linear system into a circular, regenerative system that supports true change.
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