Wishcycling is a problem in the recycling industry, and it drives up costs and increases work for recycling professionals. A Republic Services study found that 73 out of 100 people believed they were recycling experts. Yet, 61% of them were unable to correctly choose items that were not recyclable.
When you wishcycle, you recycle items that aren’t truly recyclable. Each item that you recycle incorrectly could damage equipment, require recycling lines to stop as the incorrect items are removed, and can even harm employees. What can you do to improve your recycling and waste disposal practices?
Reuse as Much as You Can
One of the best ways to avoid wishcycling is by reusing as much as you can. Save empty baby food jars and use them to store screws, nails, nuts, and bolts. Sew the bottom of an old t-shirt and turn the sleeves into handles. Use those instead of plastic produce bags from the grocery store.
Give used egg cartons to a neighbor with backyard chickens. That neighbor may be happy to trade empty cartons for a dozen eggs.
Wash and Dry Items
Recyclables need to be cleaned out of whatever’s in them. Drying them as much as possible helps keep water from damaging recyclable materials, too. Some water is hard to avoid, but keep it to less than a teaspoon if possible.
Some items are very hard to wash out. Do your best by letting them soak in hot, soapy water. A bottle brush helps a lot with scrubbing sticky, oily items like peanut butter. If you cannot get an item clean, it’s better to throw it away. One recyclable in a batch of trash is better than one recyclable ruining an entire bin of recyclables.
Start Small and Improve
Instead of trying to recycle everything at first, master the basics. Start small, and when you have those recyclables down, add something new. The easiest items to recycle are:
- Aluminum cans
- Cardboard
- Paper
- Plastic bottles
- Plastic jugs
In some states, soda and seltzer containers have a deposit that you get back when you bring them to a redemption center. Save them up for monthly trips to get some cash back. If not, these items are often made of aluminum or PET plastic, which are easier to recycle.
In the past decade or two, many haulers switched to zero-sort recycling. You don’t have to sort by item anymore. All allowable recyclables go into the bin, and the recycling facility workers sort them later.
Due to contamination with wet cans and bottles and dry paper and cardboard, some facilities switched back to having people sort items in dual-stream or multi-stream programs. For example, Dallas went back to multi-sort in 2022. Recycling bins in this program are as follows:
- Yellow – Glass bottles and jars without lids
- Red – Aluminum, plastic (1-7), metal lids from glass jars, steel, and tin (Plastic cannot be a microwavable tray or 4-pack or 6-pack holder.)
- Cardboard and paper are flattened and stacked together. (Paper cannot include shredded paper or paper or cardboard with a wax coating.)
If you’re not in a zero-sort district, make sure you place items in the correct bins. It’s confusing, but it’s better to throw something out if you’re not certain than to put it in the recycling and contaminate an entire load.
Never Organize Recyclables in Plastic Bags
Placing your recycling in plastic bags helps keep things tidy, but that plastic bag is incredibly damaging. It catches on machinery and causes damage. Plastic bags never go into recycling.
Even better, save all plastic bags and bring them with you to the grocery store. Most have plastic film recycling bins that allow you to recycle items like plastic bags, cling film, dry cleaning bags, bubble wrap, and plastic padded mailers.
If you’re responsible for separating cardboard and paper, most districts allow you to organize them in paper grocery bags. Make sure you check your district’s rules first. Cardboard often must be cut down to a specific size. Some districts require you to create stacks that are tied in twine.
Shop Responsibly
When you’re purchasing items, consider the waste or recycling that’s generated. If you need cucumbers, don’t purchase cucumbers that are wrapped in plastic film. Instead, purchase them loose and bring a reusable produce bag.
Purchase goods that use recycled plastic or other materials in the manufacturing process. When you purchase items made with recyclable materials, you support the recycling process, which is important for funding recycling programs.
A circular economy is one where you recycle items properly, and the materials collected in recycling are processed and used to make new items. And, shoppers buy those new items, which reduces the demand for raw materials. Because it’s a circular process, it’s aptly named.
Do Your Research
Wishcycling is one thing I struggle with. I want to do my part, but it’s hard when the recycling rules aren’t clear. My hauler is based in one country, but I live in another. Where the hauler goes depends on how quickly the truck fills up.
While there are recycling mandates on things like electronics, batteries, food scraps, and chemicals like paint and household cleaners, county environmental depots set their own rules on the rest.
One county takes all plastics 1 to 7 as long as they are larger than 2 inches in diameter. The other breaks it down by color and item. For example, any black plastic must go into the trash. One accepts pizza boxes, while the other only accepts them if there are no grease stains.
I’m not alone. There are other residents in towns and states experiencing this. What do you do when you just don’t know? Start by asking your hauler for a list of items you can recycle. If that’s not helpful enough, we have another option. Do your research.
Every Small Step Helps
Because recycling rules do vary from one area to the next, it’s important to read the rules and make sure you’re doing as much as you can. You might not get it right at first, but learn from mistakes. The more you get right, the better it is for the environment.
RecycleNation created a recycling directory for that reason. Enter the item you’re unsure of and see where to bring it. It’s better to hold it until you know if you can put it in a curbside container or need to bring it to the right facility. Enter your ZIP and the item name and our guide returns locations, contact information, and driving directions.
