(Click on images for higher resolution)
Often times you will see companies tout their products having "up to 30% plant-based, 100% recyclable bottle" and "30-50% less plastic". This is a very misleading promotion as the amount of plastic bottles recycled have, in fact, increased over the years BUT compared to the amount that is STILL manufactured from virgin material there is no comparison. It seems unethical for companies to continue advertising their products in such a way that you would feel 'less' guilty about buying them.
(Image shows total plastic stream, around 30% of water bottles are recycled)
Don't believe me? Let's walk through the process of where that bottle goes once you throw it into your 'recycling bin'.
First, a truck comes to your curbside and collects the combined materials (your aluminum cans, plastic bottles, paper, etc.) out of your bin and carries them to a MRF (pronounced 'merf', Materials Recovery Facility). You may hear this called a "recycling center" but that is not true as no actual 'recycling' is taking place. Once it arrives it dumps everything out onto an open area where forklifts compile everything for people to throw on a conveyor belt.
Once on the conveyor belt, it travels upward where people up top separate everything by hand, by material type, and drop the materials below with a trap door.
Once down below everything is then bundled into 'bales' and loaded onto a big rig destined for whomever bids for the materials out in the open market.
So what's my point about plastic bottles?
Well, because of plastics' difficult recyclability, the only buyers for those materials are in China. Back in 2008-09, the docks of Long Beach had tons and tons of plastics that China could not buy. They sat there with no destination.
Here is a 1 1/2 minute clip explaining China's process.
Also, the melting point of plastic is very close to that of water and it can easily be burnt and rendered useless. Because of the myriad of chemicals that go into that very bottle you have in your hand, contaminants easily disrupt an entire batch from being recycled.
So what can you possibly do? Well, for starters you can switch like I have to a more sustainable solution. MySigg and Klean Kanteen (clickable links) are great ways to stylishly incorporate re-usable solutions into your everyday habit of drinking water. I have to say, not only have I saved myself an exorbitant amount of money in water bottle purchasing, but I've made a tremendous difference in my contribution to the waste stream.
Consider this as well in your consumption habits. Most, and I MEAN most, municipalities do not have appropriate infrastructure in place to handle our consumption habits. The recycling industry is still in its nascent of integrating how we consume and discard waste. Our world of consumption is built upon convenience and thus we have taken short cuts in many of our day-to-day habits. Remember when a hard day's work gave a feeling of meaning and purpose? Wouldn't one think that with all of this convenience our lives should be better spent making the world a better place? It doesn't really seem that way when you consider that we have become somewhat lethargic and complacent with all of the negative externalities associated with our behavior. How many plastic cups do you see used in bars and clubs? Talk about an exponential process of waste!
We are not bad people, we just have bad habits. Like any addict, it takes an inner strength to change and that very change, no matter the size, is significant!
Sax, L. "Environmental Health Perspectives: Polyethylene Terephthalate May Yield Endocrine Disruptors." Environmental Health Perspectives: Monthly Journal of Peer-Reviewed Research and News on the Impact of the Environment on Human Health. N.p., 4 Apr. 2010. Web. 22 May 2011. .
