Special Topic - Recycling Myths Unmasked

Ten common recycling myths

 

Myth #1 - There are no markets for recyclables.

Demand for recycled materials has never been greater and, in many cases, exceeds the supply currently provided by the American public.

• A recycled aluminum beverage can returns to the grocer’s shelf as a new, filled can in as few as 60 days after collection. (Aluminum Association)
• Scrap steel has become the steel industry’s single largest source of raw materials because it is economically advantageous to recycle old steel into new steel. (Steel Recycling Institute)
• Glass manufacturers report that recycling makes economic sense because it extends the life of furnaces and reduces energy costs.   Energy costs drop by 0.5% for every 1% of recycled glass cullet used. (Glass packaging institute)
• More than 80% of all U.S. paper manufacturers use some recovered fiber to make their products. (American Forest & Paper Assn.)

 

Myth #2 - We are already recycling as much as we can.

Many of us focus on recycling in the kitchen, but forget about products and packaging consumed elsewhere, like in bathrooms, laundry rooms and garages.

Recyclables commonly thrown away:

• Detergent bottles
• Shampoo/lotion bottles
• Toilet paper cores
• Tissue boxes
• Cardboard boxes
• Scrap metal
• Cereal and cake boxes

On the go

Carry a bag for recyclables in your car to take home when recycling bins aren’t available.

 

Myth #3 - Recycling costs too much.

Well-run recycling programs cost less to operate than waste collection, landfilling, and incineration.

Compare service costs:

• Collection cost + disposal cost + solid waste tax = Garbage Service Cost
• Collection cost – sale of recyclables = Recycling Service Cost

State law required garbage haulers to provide volume-based fees.   The larger your garbage cart the more you pay.   Get a smaller cart for garbage, recycle all you can!

Recycling helps families save money when you are able to reduce the size of your garbage cart to get a lower charge per month.  

Donating useable items that your family no longer wants is cheaper than paying to throw them away.

 

Myth #4 - Recycling should pay for itself.

Recycling pays for itself in many ways, from the direct financial benefits of selling the materials to the many economic and environmental benefits.

Recycling supports 9,000 Minnesota jobs, $64 million in tax revenues and $37 billion in annual payrolls. Public sector investments in local recycling programs pay great dividends by creating private sector jobs. (MOEA 2004 Biennial Report to the Legislature)

• For every job collecting recyclables, there are 26 jobs in processing the materials and manufacturing them into new products. (NRC’s Recycling Economic Information Study)
• Recycling creates four jobs for every one job created in the waste management and disposal industries. (NRC’s Recycling Economic Information Study)
• Thousands of U.S. companies have saved millions of dollars through their voluntary recycling programs.   They wouldn’t recycle if it didn’t make sense.

 

Myth #5 - Recycling causes more pollution than it prevents.

Recycling is one of the best environmental success stories of the late 20th century. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

In the U.S., processing minerals contributes almost half of all reported toxic emissions from industry, sending 1.5 million tons of pollution into the air and water each year. Recycling can significantly reduce these emissions. (WorldWatch Institute)

A national recycling rate of 30% reduces greenhouse gas emissions equal to removing nearly 25 million cars from the road. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

“The waste we don’t recycle contains more than one million tons of recyclables and organic materials.” - MOEA 2004 Biennial Report to the Legislature

 

Myth #6 - Recycling uses more energy than it saves.

It is important to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.   Recycling helps us do that by saving energy.

Manufacturing with recycled materials, with very few exceptions, saves energy and water and produces less air and water pollution than manufacturing with virgin materials. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

• It takes 95% less energy to recycle aluminum than it does to make it from raw materials.   Making recycled steel saves 60%, recycled newspaper 40%, recycled plastic 70%, and recycled glass 40%. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
• In 2000, recycling resulted in an annual energy savings equal to the amount of energy used in 6 million homes.   In 2055, recycling is conservatively projected to save the amount of energy used in 9 million homes. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

 

Myth #7 - Recycling doesn’t save trees or other natural resources.

Recycling conserves natural resources, such as timber, water and minerals.   Every bit of recycling makes a difference.

• Every ton of newsprint or mixed paper recycled saves the equivalent of cutting down 17 trees to make paper. (NRC’s Environmental Benefits Calculator)
• When one ton of steel is recycled, 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal and 120 pounds of limestone are conserved. (Steel Recycling Institute)
• Recycling prevents habitat destruction, loss of biodiversity, and soil erosion associated with logging and mining.
• Americans consume more natural resources per person than any other country in the world. (New Road Map Foundation)

 

Myth #8 - Why recycle, it just gets thrown away anyway.

It is against state law to pick up recyclables and not recycle them.   It is also against the law for a landfill or resource recovery facility to accept a load of recyclables.   (Minnesota Statutes § 115A.95)

 

“We do not inherit the land from our ancestors ; we borrow it from our children.” - Native American adage

 

“Observers believe that the quality of life in the United States will be determined by what steps we take to safeguard the environment in which we live.” - James A Michener, Writer

 

Myth #9 - One person cannot make a difference.

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” - Edmund Burke, 18th Century British Philosopher

 

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead

 

Myth #10 - Recycling is a burden on families.

Recycling is popular because the public understands that some material can be used again to make new products.

• More people recycle than vote. (Resource Recycling Magazine)
• All residents in Anoka County have access to curbside recycling.   Either the service is provided by the municipality or the hauler provides the service.
• Many municipalities have drop-off recycling centers and/or recycling days.

 

Fact: A hauler cannot charge one customer more to recycle than one who doesn’t recycle. (Minnesota Statutes § 115A.93, Subd. 3c)

 

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Anoka County Integrated Waste Management
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2100 Third Avenue, Room 340
Anoka, MN 55303-2265
 
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