The term eco recycling seems redundant. Recycling in itself is a form of helping the environment. But, are we doing it in the most efficient manner possible?
Curbside recycling makes recycling easier for the common household. These days the typical bin is used for mixed materials and looks very much like your ordinary trash container. Some locations offer recycling of materials that the homeowner sorts themselves. The whole idea is to encourage recycling. But, how effective is the one bin system?
If we think about what happens to these materials we have to consider the facility where the mixed recyclables end up. Picture a long conveyor belt with individuals on both sides picking through the debris and you will have a rough idea of how this system works. Employees sort the plastics, cardboard, and other materials into various containers. It can be compared to the example above where the homeowner sorts the materials themselves.
If you boil this down further, you can see how the single bin system seems wasteful. First, the employees must drive to the location. The building must be heated or cooled. And, there are electrical costs associated with running the equipment as well. I would like to see the energy breakdown from both methods of recycling. It seems to me that the single bin method is not a very good form of eco recycling.
Now, before anyone begins to think I am against recycling, I would like to point out a couple of positives of the single bin system. First, it gets more people to recycle that might otherwise feel it is a waste of time. Second, and this is the most important, it cuts down on landfill space.
My point is that in the overall scheme of recycling I think it could be accomplished more efficiently. Just looking at the amount of materials recycled over time without taking into consideration the total amount of energy consumed to accomplish the task seems like an oxy-moron. I do realize their are also energy savings associated with not producing new items from virgin material. This aspect should also be figured into the equation.
I would love to hear your take on becoming more eco friendly recyclers. Please leave a comment below to join in the discussion.
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