We all know the imminent threat that the climate crisis poses to life as we know it, and we all know that we each must play a part in tackling it. Every year, Global Recycling Day is celebrated on 18 March to raise awareness of the impact of recycling. But how effective is it in practice and does it go as far as we need it to?
Recycling is the process of breaking down and reusing certain materials, saving them from the landfill. It reduces the production of raw materials and air and water pollution, as well as lowering greenhouse gases.
Items that can be routinely recycled in the UK include cans, plastic bottles, milk cartons, yoghurt pots, and paper. Items such as post-it notes, toothpaste tubes, paper receipts, and Pringles tubes generally cannot be recycled due to the materials used.
Impact
We’ve had it drilled into us from an early age that recycling is an effective way to combat the climate crisis. For years, I have been rinsing out my juice cartons and squashing them down to make more room in the recycling bin. I have torn the plastic windows from envelopes and rescued paper from rubbish bins at school and workplaces to recycle at home.
“CO2 levels in the earth’s atmosphere are at a level unseen in three million years.”
I recycle because it makes me feel like I’m doing my part – no matter how small – to make a difference to our planet. If I really look at the bigger picture however, I can admit to myself that recycling is, more or less, the bare minimum.
Of course, if we all make small individual efforts, this has the power to transform into a big collective impact. But when you read that CO2 levels in the earth’s atmosphere are at a level unseen in three million years, glaciers are losing 390 billion tons of ice and snow a year, and a football pitch-sized area of rainforest was lost every six seconds in 2019, it makes the action of putting your vegetable peel and forgotten leftovers in the food waste bin feel very small and impactless indeed.
Individual action is great, but it’s incredibly frustrating to learn that just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of all greenhouse gas emissions. No amount of bamboo toothbrushes can truly counteract the damage these corporations are doing.
That’s why it’s so important to educate ourselves about what more we can be doing to save our planet, not just on an individual level, but through collective action against those causing real harm to our planet.
Taking action this Global Recycling Day
Now this is not meant to decry the actions of individuals: we’re all just doing our best to do what we can, and recycling is a very easy way to incorporate sustainability into your life. But perhaps Global Recycling Day is the perfect opportunity to learn about what more we can do on a community level.
At school, we were taught that recycling is a part of the ‘Three Rs’; Reduce; Reuse; and Recycle. Reducing your daily waste is arguably the most effective way to contribute to a greener planet as it means fewer non-recyclable materials are bought in the first place, and fewer items need to be processed at recycling plants, saving energy and lowering your carbon footprint.
“Giving up one serving of beef once a week for a year saves the equivalent emissions to driving 348 miles in a car.”
Reducing waste doesn’t necessarily mean having to cut things out of your lifestyle: everyday items can easily be replaced with sustainable alternatives such as reusable water bottles (the one I bought four years ago still serves me well), soap and shampoo bars, washable dish sponges, and cloth face pads.
You could also commit to reducing your meat intake. You don’t have to go vegan to make a difference: giving up one serving of beef once a week for a year saves the equivalent emissions to driving 348 miles in a car.
Of course, being able to make these changes is a privilege and not everyone can afford sustainable alternatives which are typically more expensive. But if those of us who can, do, we can make a bigger impact than we might think: one disposable plastic bottle takes over 700 years to break down. With approximately 13 billion being thrown away in the UK every year, the impact of many people making this switch could be staggering.
Reusing and repurposing is another great way of ensuring items don’t have to make a trip to the recycling centre. Your takeaway Tupperware can be great freezer storage for weekly meal-prepping. Shopping second-hand and making donations not only saves items going to the landfill site but saves money too. You can also upcycle waste items into homeware and artwork – what’s not to love?
So, if you really want to make a difference to the climate this Global Recycling Day, pledge to go one step further.
Saskia Harper
Featured image courtesy of Nick Fewings from Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.