Recycling is the action of converting wastes such as plastics, glass bottles, and jars, into reusable material. The act of recycling is portrayed as a practice that works and helps out the environment, but in actuality, the method of recycling is only partly successful. With this post I seek to prove that recycling isn't an efficient method of helping our polluted environment, and we must find a better way of dealing with our plastic problem.   

Contention One: Waste Sorting
According to a U.C. Santa Barbera study, only 34% of recyclable material is correctly sorted in the United States. Through that same study it was found that over 74% of material, regardless of categorization, was dumped into landfill. These statistics show that despite the ability to recycle, there aren't enough people who are correctly sorting their waste correctly to allow the processes of recycling to work. Of that 34% of correctly sorted recyclable material, 25% has been contaminated according to a Columbia Study. With all of these obstructions in place, only a small amount of material that is placed in the recycling bin is truly put through the process of recycling.

Contention Two : The Recycling Process
Energy plants in the United States are a contributor to pollution and air contamination. According to a Human Rights Watch study on how recycling plants impact the environment, they found that "Untreated wastewater from recycling facilities are likely contaminated with toxic pollutants that can harm people and biodiversity. Plastic melting facilities emit volatile organic compounds . . . Toxic chemicals, including carcinogens and VOCs, pollute air both inside facilities and in areas near recycling facilities" (Human Rights Watch 2022, See Sources for Link). Further research shows that these practices happen not only in the United States, but in other countries, showing that the damage that recycling plants cause is worldwide.

Contention Three : Remnants of Recycling
Despite recycling plants breaking down plastics and metals, only a minor part of recyclable wastes are truly repurposed. For example, an NPR funded research study, only 5% of recyclable plastics are reused. The rest of these plastics are thrown into landfill by recycling companies such Waste Management (WM). That 5% of recycled plastic is turned into plastic bags that further taint our environment, and can no longer be recycled.

Sources:
U.C. Santa Barbera Study https://www.dfss.ucsb.edu/sites/default … ctices.pdf

Colombia Study
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2020/ … g-america/

Human Rights Watch on Climate Change
https://www.hrw.org/report/2022/09/21/i … odiversity.

NPR Study on Results of Recycling
https://www.npr.org/2022/10/24/11311310 … 20landfill.

Very Interesting, and I mostly agree with what you wrote. You briefly mentioned that the process for recycling plastics is not infinite, and I would like to further explain. A majority of plastics that are technically classified as ‘recyclable’ aren’t fully recyclable. For example, polystyrene (plastic #6), better known as foam, isn’t recyclable at many major recycling facilities (https://sanjoserecycles.org/guide/foam- … lystyrene/), and even when it can, the recycling process is very inefficient. It can also very easily blow into the environment where it leeches harmful chemicals that damages wildlife and the environment. Additionally, PET plastic (plastic #1) has many unique categories that can’t be recycled together, and requires more plastic to be added each time it is recycled, meaning that more plastic is being produced, completely defeating the supposed purpose of recycling. Only 9% of waste enters the recycling process, and even less ends up actually being recycled. In my opinion, the only solution is to stop the companies that produce this plastic, either via a boycott, governmental regulations, or some other means.

Sources: A brief read-through of the sources listed in the previous post and; https://www.rainbowrecycling.org/what-p … 20recycled.  https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archi … al/661141/  https://sanjoserecycles.org/guide/1-plastic-pet/ https://sanjoserecycles.org/guide/foam- … lystyrene/