The myths of recycling

For International Recycling Day, we debunk some of the false myths going around

International Recycling Day is celebrated every year on 17 May. It is important to mark this date as a day to raise awareness of the importance of giving waste a second life. Recycling reduces the work of extracting, transporting and processing new raw materials, which means using less energy and therefore sending less CO₂ into the atmosphere. If we use fewer raw materials to make products, we save a significant amount of natural resources and can preserve natural habitats.

We have put together some points that debunk some of the false myths going around about recycling:

Waste gets mixed in the lorries

If you see a lorry collecting waste from different bins, don’t assume it is mixing what you have separated. These vehicles are fitted with a two-compartment system that allows waste to be collected without mixing it.

I already pay the waste tax, so why should I recycle?

The more mixed the waste is, the more expensive collection becomes for your local council. Money from your taxes that could pay for other services has to be spent on this instead. The fee a council has to pay to send unsorted waste to landfill is higher than the cost of treating recyclable materials that can be put to use.

Recycling destroys jobs

There is no need to worry about leaving recycling plant workers without a job, quite the opposite. 2020 data from Ecoembes show that employment in the packaging recycling sector grew by more than 18% over the previous four years, reaching 46,210 workers.

Products made of more than one type of material can’t be recycled

It is true that until recently many complex materials could not be broken down, but manufacturers have worked to create packaging that is easier to recycle, and there has also been innovation in recycling plant machinery.

Me recycling won’t save the world

The individual effort of recycling is the first step towards caring for the environment, and the fact that society is increasingly aware helps more people join in every year. Countries in the northern hemisphere are the biggest producers of waste, so it is our responsibility to take care of our own.