Many “recyclable” materials are not recycled or even recyclable. While papers and metals are recycled at relatively high rates, recycling rates for plastic are below 10 percent. Most plastics display numerical codes, purporting to denote a standardized and elaborate recycling system. But the system is convoluted, sometimes confusing even recycling facilities and identifying recycling processes that are not used. For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/recycling-with-deborah-raphael/
For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/recycling-with-deborah-raphael/
Ethan: Are you recycling correctly at home? This is Ethan Elkind of Climate Break. Determining whether or not waste is recyclable can often be confusing. I asked Deborah Raphael, Director of the San Francisco Department of the Environment, for some suggestions on how to dispose of waste effectively and sustainably.
Ms. Raphael: I like to suggest to people that you err on the side of goodwill, meaning you err on the side of saying that that plastic does have an end use, because it's very difficult to know whether or not there is a recycling market for it.
Ethan: Not all plastic can be recycled, but we often dispose of recyclable plastic incorrectly, leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions. So residents often need help understanding needed steps to divert their waste from landfill. Deborah offers helpful guidance:
Ms. Raphael: So let's think about a pizza box that is perfectly dry. There's no food in it, no grease. That should go in the recycling bin because that cardboard is valuable. But when that pizza box has food stuck to it, or grease all over it from the cheese, then it really needs to go into the green bin. It's very important that they are dry. The dryer they are, the higher the quality of your recycling will be.
Ethan: To learn more about effective recycling practices, and for more climate solutions, go to climatebreak.org or wherever you get your podcasts.