The Facts About Recycling
Over the past several years, the word “recycling” has become more of a household name, but there is definitely still some confusion about the topic.
Some common questions people have are…
What is a recycled product?
What is a recyclable product?
What is a biodegradable product?
Below is some basic information answering these questions that will hopefully encourage consumers to recycle and minimize their contribution to our already overflowing landfills.
What is a “recycled” product?
Recycling programs are increasing across the nation and around the world as a means of reducing the amount of landfill space needed for waste, but collecting papers and bottles is only half of the process. Consumers need to purchase products made of recycled materials to complete the cycle.
In the world of manufacturing consumer products, a “recycled” product is…
A new product made from materials that would otherwise have been waste, broken down (melted or pulped) into a basic substance from which a new product can be formed.
Even though the word “recycled” is commonly used to mean reusing something in any way, legal definitions require the old product to be broken down into its basic material and a new product formed for it to be called “recycled.”
There are three general levels of recycled products that can all be called “recycled”.
Primary Recycling – Reprocessing or remanufacturing of discarded materials into the same product, which can then be recycled again, such as a glass container into a glass container or a steel product into a steel product.
Secondary Recycling – Reprocessing or remanufacturing of discarded materials into a different, but similar, product. For example, recycling corrugated cardboard boxes into cereal boxes.
Tertiary Recycling – Reprocessing or remanufacturing of discarded materials into a product, which is not likely to be recycled, such as recycling mixed office paper into bathroom tissue.
There is much controversy among manufacturers, distributors, regulators, and consumers over what constitutes a “real” recycled product. There are those who believe that only products made from post-consumer waste should be called “recycled.” Considering that for every pound of consumer waste there is twenty-five pounds of manufacturing waste, pre-consumer waste has its place in products called “recycled,” too. Products just need to be labeled correctly so consumers can make their own choices.
What is a “recyclable” product?
A “recyclable” product is…
A product that can be collected and made into a new recycled product.
But when considering the recyclability of a product there are two separate and distinct issues: 1) Can a product or material technically be recycled? 2) In real life, can a product or material practically be recycled?
The difference between these two definitions of “recyclable” is the subject of hot controversy in the product/packaging-labeling world. Some say that any product or material that can technically be recycled should be labeled “recyclable.” Others say that the attribute “recyclable” should only be used on a label if, in fact, it can really be recycled in the community where the product or package is sold. While recyclables such as glass or newspapers can be recycled almost everywhere, other recyclables like plastics or motor oil can only be recycled in the limited number of areas where programs have been set up.
The primary markets for recycled materials right now are aluminum and other scrap metals, glass, paper and plastic. These are easily recognizable even without the word “recyclable” on the label.
A very large portion of our waste is recyclable or otherwise reusable. If we recycled all of our paper and paperboard (40%), all of our metals (9%), all of our plastic (8%), and all our glass (7%), we would reduce our total garbage by 64 percent! If, in addition, we reclaimed our wood (4%), rubber (3%), and textiles (2%) for other uses, we would be down to only 27 percent of our current garbage. By composting yard wastes (18%) and food wastes (7%), we’re left with only two percent of our current solid waste to place in a landfill or otherwise dispose of. Recycling takes work, but it can be done.
What is a “biodegradable” product?
Of all the environmental buzzwords, “biodegradable” has perhaps been the most misused and is perhaps the most difficult to understand.
A “biodegradable” product is…
A product that has the ability to break down, safely and relatively quickly,
by biological means, into the raw materials of nature and disappears into the environment.
These products can be solids biodegrading into the soil (which we also refer to as compostable), or liquids biodegrading into water. Biodegradable plastic is intended to break up when exposed to microorganisms (a natural ingredient such as cornstarch or vegetable oil is added to achieve this result).
By the time many resources are turned into products, however, they have been altered by industry in such a way that they are unrecognizable to the microorganisms and enzymes that return natural materials to their basic building blocks. Crude oil, for example, will biodegrade in its natural state, but once it is turned into plastic; it becomes an unsustainable pollution problem. Instead of returning to the cycle of life, these products simply pollute and litter our land, air, and water.
The confusion about this issue will probably continue for some time, but as consumers, we should be vigilant about using biodegradable products to protect our environment.
Here’s how long it takes for some commonly used products to biodegrade, when they are scattered about as litter:
- Cotton rags (1-5 months)
- Paper (2-5 months)
- Rope (3-14 months)
- Orange peels (6 months)
- Wool socks (1-5 years)
- Cigarette butts (1-12 years)
- Plastic coated paper milk cartons (5 years)
- Leather shoes (25 – 40 years)
- Nylon fabric (30 – 40 years)
- Tin cans (50 – 100 years)
- Aluminum cans (80 – 100 years)
- Plastic 6-pack holder rings (450 years)
- Glass bottles (1 million years)
- Plastic bottles (forever)
For more information on choosing environmentally friendly products, please visit www.worldwise.com
Tags: eco-friendly, green, Trends
This is great information! More and more consumers are looking for products that fall in the three categories – recycled, recyclable and biodegradable products in their everyday purchases…food packaging, non-consumable packaging, apparel etc. This information would be helpful to leave on the site as a link so customers can access it at anytime.
Great information on the ’shelf life’ of products we dispose. Bags seem to get most of the public’s attention (do you want paper or plastic?), so it’s helpful to see how other commonly used products affect our environment.