Is Recycling Worth Your Time?

It can be. Here’s How

Greasy pizza boxes, disposable coffee cups, plastic shopping bags and many other items may seem recyclable but they’re actually not. Though we may have the best intentions, trying to recycle these things can do more harm than good by contaminating the recyclability of other items. (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/29/climate/recycling-wrong-mistakes.html) What about items that should be recycled but just aren’t? The explosion of plastic use across the US generates 36 million tons of waste that needs to be recycled each year. According to the EPA, 75% of plastics are landfilled as a percentage of generation. No wonder two-thirds of the US population don’t even bother to recycle plastic bottles and jars. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-11/documents/2014_smmfactsheet_508.pdf

While many of the common items traditionally known for recycling aren’t recycled as much as we thought, the one product that doesn’t disappoint is your vehicle’s battery. The traditional 12-volt battery built with a lead-based design has a recycling rate of 99%. Better yet, the lead safely contained in the recycled plastic enclosure is infinitely recyclable. What’s the reason for such a high rate of return? Battery components are valuable and there is a well-built system in the US to collect and recycle them. How valuable? You’d have to recycle over 500 aluminum cans to get close to the money you get for returning one battery.

You should be able to feel good about recycling. There’s still hope for products that promise a closed loop economy. However, this loop cannot stay closed without you. To learn more about how you can feel good about recycling again, go to