Reduce, reuse, recycle – get with the program!

An article in “The Conversation” from earlier this year highlighted several key issues with consumer waste (and pollution). At first, the article seemed straightforward and simple with this headline.

Decades of public messages about recycling in the US have crowded out more sustainable ways to manage waste

The Conversation

Plastic consumer waste a real problem

The problem of plastics and other human generated waste should not be controversial nor surprising. This article references UN’s 2023 report on Zero Waste (YouTube). Spake the Kestrel also posted on plastic waste and France’s reduction efforts. Plastic, human consumer waste, is a serious problem and will only get worse.

Given the scope and urgency of this problem, in June 2023 the United Nations convened talks with government representatives from around the globe to begin drafting a legally binding pact aimed at stemming harmful plastic waste. Meanwhile, many U.S. cities and states are banning single-use plastic products or restricting their use.

The Conversation

Recycling – the easy path

The power of language and human propensity for ‘easiest path’ made recycling the predominant strategy choice – not reduce or reuse. As a product manager type professionally once upon a time, designing in as early as possible is the best / most sustainable path. But, that would require actions and accountability upstream from consumers (manufactures, designers, sellers, etc). The traditional 3 part strategy is being simplified to “recycle”

Even when people based on this research recycled, they often did so poorly (incorrectly) and often calling it “wishcycling” – an even easier path with negative impact.

This is known as wishcycling – placing nonrecyclable items in the recycling stream in the hope or belief that they will be recycled. Wishcycling creates additional costs and problems for recyclers, who have to sort the materials, and sometimes results in otherwise recyclable materials being landfilled or incinerated instead.

The Conversation

Not surprisingly, respondents from the survey correctly identified the better strategy as up-stream, but they couldn’t implement the strategy? Even with recycling, correct procedures were not followed or knowledge limited.

Seems like in most product lifecycle discussions, designing in as earliest as possible is the better, more sustainable strategy. But, that shifts responsibility and that makes things more difficult, as with responsibility comes financial, legal accountability. Maybe this is the right time to make that shift?

As waste-related pollution accumulates worldwide, corporations continue to shame and blame consumers rather than reducing the amount of disposable products they create. In our view, recycling is not a get-out-of-jail-free card for overproducing and consuming goods, and it is time that the U.S. stopped treating it as such.

The Conversation