Recycling Isn't Working — Here’s What You Should Do Instead

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that the United States has a combined recycling rate of about 32%. This includes materials such as glass, paper, plastic, and cardboard. That number is abysmal, and here’s the real cherry on top: Recycling doesn’t even offer the benefits we think it does.

Let’s talk about why, and what you can try to do instead.

Why Isn’t Recycling More Effective?

One of the biggest issues, sadly, is that recycling isn’t profitable for companies. Even if you put your plastic bottles and aluminum cans in the recycling bin, there’s no guarantee that they will actually be recycled.

In fact, because recycling is more energy-intensive and expensive, it’s cheaper to (for example) create brand-new plastic instead. Companies have very little financial incentive to reuse recycled materials.

There’s something else we’re doing to shoot ourselves in the foot: reducing the cost to produce items and the material needed to make them. Think of water bottles made with less plastic, to the point where you can feel that the material is thinner.

Guess what? While the intentions might be positive, this lowers the value of the object, meaning, once again, that it’s less likely to be recycled.

Another problem is contamination. Ideally, we clean our recyclables before tossing them in the bin. However, this isn’t always happening. Contamination from even one recycled product can ruin the entire batch.

 

 

This problem became even more serious in 2018 when China banned the importation of most plastics that didn’t meet their purity standards. For many decades, the country had managed recycling for nearly half of the globe. In 2016 alone, the US sent 16 million tons of recycled material their way. 30% was contaminated, discarded, and ended up polluting China’s land and water.

So, in 2018, China implemented a ban. The US then started sending materials to other countries like Vietnam and Malaysia. Then, they instituted bans. We then went to countries with more lax environmental laws, like Cambodia and Kenya.

This wasn’t a solution — not nearly. Some of these countries are completely overwhelmed with our recyclables, many of which are not usable. Anywhere from 20% to 70% is being discarded, contaminating water, killing crops, heightening crime, and causing respiratory illnesses once it’s burned.

Does all of this mean you should stop recycling? No. What it means is that recycling isn’t nearly enough. We have to do better.

What Does That Look Like?

Recycling is a good thing to do, but it should also be the last resort. By far, the best thing we can do is consume less, plain and simple.

Consider that the world produces 92 million tons of textile (clothing) waste every year. The US throws out around 60 million plastic water bottles a day. The US also discards more food than any other country in the world — almost 60 million tons every year.

 

 

The answer is clear: We don’t need to recycle more. We need to purchase and use less.

If you were to take every single thing you own and move all of it into your living room in one pile, we bet you’d find things you didn’t even realize you had. Things that haven’t been touched in years. 

This can teach us a valuable lesson: Buy what you need, and don’t buy much else. Consider these tips:

• Buy secondhand: Head to Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, or your local thrift store to find gently used and even brand new (with tags!) items. You’re not only saving the planet but saving money.

Shop local: When you buy something locally produced, it doesn’t have to be packaged in layers of plastic and cardboard and then shipped to you. The quality will probably be better, too.

Buy quality: Fast fashion is tempting because it’s so cheap, but its effects on the environment (and the people producing it) are horrifying. Rather than spending $10 on a sweater that will only last one cycle in the washing machine — a sweater you will then have to replace — spend a little more on something that will last years.

Ditch single-use plastics: These are, by far, one of the biggest offenders. Switch to tote bags for your grocery shopping and self-cleaning water bottles instead of disposable ones.

Our Commitment to Sustainability

We’re creating more waste from single-use plastics than ever before — 139 million tons in 2021 alone. By 2050, we might have more plastic in the sea than fish. How we live has to change, and Sans wants to be a part of the shift.

 

We designed our self-cleaning water bottle to be the last bottle you’ll ever need. It uses UV-C light purification to eliminate 99.9% of bio-contaminants both on the bottle and in the water, with just the touch of a button. It’s even been tested to remove 99.9% of E. coli and staphylococcus in only a three-minute cycle by breaking down their DNA.

Additionally, it’s made with double-wall vacuum insulation to keep water hot for 12 hours and cold for 24 hours. Plus, it’s made of stainless steel, which can last and retain its quality for decades.

Need more motivation? Consider that the average family spends about $1,350 a year on bottled water. By switching to a self-cleaning water bottle, you’re decreasing the waste we create from single-use plastics and also saving thousands of dollars over the years.

There is no escaping plastic waste. Whether we bury it or burn it, it causes long-lasting damage. The only solution is to consume less, thereby reducing the demand for plastic. Eventually, manufacturers will respond in kind.