Each month, we’ll cover a new waste and recycling topic and provide tips and tricks to better manage your waste!

February 2023

We are back and our first topic of 2023 is The Truth About Recycling!

Have you heard the myth that recycling doesn’t work anymore or that there is no point in continuing to recycle? Here’s the truth- recycling still works! Now is the time to make recycling a priority be doing our part and learning to Recycle Better! Here are some answers to the common myth’s around recycling:

Myth: Recycling doesn’t work anymore. There is no point in continuing to recycle.

Fact: Recycling still works. Despite the decline in commodity values driven by China’s National Sword policy, recycling still conserves natural resources, prevents pollution, saves energy and reduces waste sent to disposal facilities. Recycling happens when someone buys recycled materials and turns them into new products. This still occurs today. Beyond China, resourceful recyclers like Casella have found other outlets to buy materials to be transformed into new products. The time is now to continue to support and improve existing recycling programs.

Myth: Recycling is just getting thrown away due to contamination. Today recyclable materials are being
discarded in landfills and incinerators.

Fact: This is not true. The average contamination rate of incoming single stream material (such as
Zero-Sort® Recycling) is 20%. Your program may be higher or lower depending upon how educated
and compliant your community is with what it places in the recycling bins. Casella commits that 100% of
non-contaminated recyclables that it receives and processes are sold to end markets to be made into
new products or put to beneficial use. Single stream recycling remains as today’s most convenient and
advanced technology for collecting, processing and transforming recyclables into new products. In fact, each year Casella’s recycling facilities yield over 500,000 tons (one billion pounds!!) of materials such as paper, cardboard, plastic and metal that are transformed into new products or put to beneficial use.

Myth: In light of the decline in commodity values, single stream recycling is no longer effective. We should consider going back to dual stream or source separated recycling.

Fact: Single stream recycling remains as the most effective approach for capturing the greatest amount
of recycling; it has more than doubled and even tripled recycling rates in towns across the country since its advent in the 1990s. It is embraced by consumers because it is the most convenient method for discarding recyclables. In light of the commodity value decline the onus is on all of us as recyclers to educate our consumers how to Recycle Better to make the recycling streams cleaner and more valuable.