As our planet heads towards destruction, more and more people are talking about the importance of recycling. No longer is it a “hippie conversation” or something that is considered a thoroughly alternative. Recycling has become the way of life when it comes to everyday people and a lot of the bigger industries. However, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in order to help keep the planet alive and sustainable long-term. That’s where 2020 recycling trends are going to kick in.
Recycling isn’t the goal.
One of the biggest details that the EPA is sharing is that, surprise, recycling shouldn’t be the first priority in people’s minds when it comes to assessing what they have to do with their life to create a more sustainable environment around them. In fact, they’ve got a hierarchy to show you where you should be putting your energy:
1. Reduce: The first goal should be to reduce your use of recyclable materials as much as possible. Everything from plastic water bottles to K-cups to large commercial plastic packing should be reduced to the absolute minimum. This will prevent less of it ending up at recycling depots and the less there is being used, the less there is being sold, and the less that is required to be produced. It’s a positive cycle that can help really cut back on single-use recycled products. This is something that a lot of everyday people have taken care of, but it is still missing a lot of support from businesses and larger companies.
2. Recycle: The second tier tells us to recycle anything and everything whenever possible. Check for the recycling labels, bring them to your local depots and don’t just chuck something into the garbage because you aren’t sure. Corporations are also slacking off in this department due to the “extra time” it will take to sort it all out. This is hoping to change in the future with large fines for those who do not separate out their recycling.
3. Recover energy: There is the possibility to use these recyclable or compostable products to produce alternative sources of energy in order to help reduce single-use. The most popular options for this in the past years are glass, paper and cardboard, and food waste. These can be used as energy sources in corporations or plants that often are known for producing huge amounts of fossil fuels as well as large amounts of waste.
4. Treatment or disposal: The last step should be the idea of treating or disposing of waste that just cannot be repurposed or burned as alternative energies. Landfills are already overflowing with all sorts of waste (some of which shouldn’t be there), so space for this needs to be prioritized and protected to make sure that we, well, don’t run out of room!
Recycling isn’t the goal.
One of the biggest details that the EPA is sharing is that, surprise, recycling shouldn’t be the first priority in people’s minds when it comes to assessing what they have to do with their life to create a more sustainable environment around them. In fact, they’ve got a hierarchy to show you where you should be putting your energy:
1. Reduce: The first goal should be to reduce your use of recyclable materials as much as possible. Everything from plastic water bottles to K-cups to large commercial plastic packing should be reduced to the absolute minimum. This will prevent less of it ending up at recycling depots and the less there is being used, the less there is being sold, and the less that is required to be produced. It’s a positive cycle that can help really cut back on single-use recycled products. This is something that a lot of everyday people have taken care of, but it is still missing a lot of support from businesses and larger companies.
2. Recycle: The second tier tells us to recycle anything and everything whenever possible. Check for the recycling labels, bring them to your local depots and don’t just chuck something into the garbage because you aren’t sure. Corporations are also slacking off in this department due to the “extra time” it will take to sort it all out. This is hoping to change in the future with large fines for those who do not separate out their recycling.
3. Recover energy: There is the possibility to use these recyclable or compostable products to produce alternative sources of energy in order to help reduce single-use. The most popular options for this in the past years are glass, paper and cardboard, and food waste. These can be used as energy sources in corporations or plants that often are known for producing huge amounts of fossil fuels as well as large amounts of waste.
4. Treatment or disposal: The last step should be the idea of treating or disposing of waste that just cannot be repurposed or burned as alternative energies. Landfills are already overflowing with all sorts of waste (some of which shouldn’t be there), so space for this needs to be prioritized and protected to make sure that we, well, don’t run out of room!
The biggest recycling categories for 2020 to watch for:
This year is fresh and new and there are all sorts of possibilities waiting to be taken advantage of. As far as realistic predictions within these categories, these will be the main categories to watch as far as their use, production (or reduction) and their final destination.
• Paper and cardboard (60% of all recycling): In the past few years, paper and cardboard have make up a large amount of recycled or repurposed content. While it’s great that it is being repurposed, it’s clear that the overall use of these kinds of products still needs to be reduced so that not so much of it is needed to be recycled. Additionally, it’s important that cardboard and paper (which can almost always be recycled) is ending up the proper depots and not taking up valuable space in landfills. This will be especially important this year with the commercial factories and industries which can contribute in large amounts to the landfills.
• Plastics (13.2% of waste): Plastics can often be repurposed but sometimes not. They take up approximately 13% of the landfills in a given year and since plastic cannot ever entire biodegrade (assumed), it’s there forever. Literally. This year, it’s predicted that producers who must use plastics will reduce or stop producing the single-use plastics and rely only on the types of plastics that can be recycled. This will help cut down on the amount of plastic that ends up inå waste because it can be shredded down and used for something else. Similarly, many everyday people are already looking at reusables instead of convenient single-use plastic options wherever possible, which helps reduce their need and popularity for producers.
• Food/organics (28% of composing): Only 28% of compositing is made up of food and organics, but it is the ideal way for us to reuse these organic materials. Since it can be repurposed in fertilizers and gardening care on corporate levels (commercial agriculture, anyone?), it’s important to make this a priority this year. Since a lot of food goes to waste due to overproduction, why not put it to use by creating new soil land other materials that can be used to grow fresh crops where they’re needed? This is a prime example of how to take care of the earth. Commercial factories will be the easiest options to make use of this.
The bottom line:
As far as the limited funding is concerned, the reduction is still going to be the best choice. Spend your funds on finding alternative packaging so that there is less being used. Go for bulk selling where people take a BYO (bring your own) approach, for example. Less waste in production and in commercial selling.
Another focus area for funding should be in the elimination of single-use plastics so that what plastics are sold can be shredded and reused in some form. This will help take them out of the landfill and put them into the recycling category or energy category.
What 2020 actually will bring still remains a mystery, but it’s exciting to see all of the options for recycling and reusing on both a commercial and personal level. Now it’s up to the people in power to make it all happen.
