Guest Column: In or out? A guide for when not to recycle
Can you recycle a yogurt cup leftover from breakfast? What about the bottle of soda you finished off while on campus? Answering these questions at the last second often leads to decision fatigue, and people simply guess where their waste belongs.
As it turns out, the split-second decisions that are made while standing in front of the trash and recycling bins on campus make a huge difference in the success of the USU recycling program. What many people may not realize is that if you cannot recycle correctly, it is better not to recycle at all.
According to the USU Recycling website, there are 14 recycling bins located across the Logan campus for people to recycle waste products. Students pass by these every day, typically tossing in empty soda bottles. Many people are aware of these bins, but what happens to the recycling is not well known.
As it turns out, USU has its own recycling center. North of the Maverik Stadium, USU Facilities operates the USU Recycling Center, where all on-campus recycling is taken for processing and distribution.
In a perfect system, the recyclables are sorted into categories — plastics, glasses, paper and cardboard — that can then be recycled. However, this system becomes gummed when improper materials are added to the recycling bin. Just like the one bad apple in the crate, even one incorrectly sorted waste product can lead to a whole batch of recycling going to the landfill.
USU Facilities faces challenges when messy materials enter recycling bins. Wet cardboard can’t be recycled, and neither can dirty plastic containers. These items must be clean and dry before they are placed in the bins or else the recycling cannot be processed.
Additionally, knowing the plastic type is crucial to ensuring proper recycling. The USU Recycling Center only accepts #1 and #2 plastics, which are the white or clear plastics that are most commonly used in bottles.
Identifying plastic types may seem daunting, but most packaging clearly states which type of plastic it is made of. Look for the triangle made of three arrows located on the package. Inside of that triangle, the plastic type is given as a number between 1 and 7.
What about plastic types 3-7? These plastics are often not accepted at recycling centers because they are softer, may be colored, or require additional processing. Most places do not have the equipment to process these plastics.
How can we as Aggies improve the success of USU recycling? Recycling is often encouraged across campus, but it is crucial that recycling is done right.
The USU Recycling website includes a complete list of accepted recycling materials that anyone can look at to ensure they do not contaminate the recycling bins. This can be a great way to build recycling knowledge.
The easiest way to recycle correctly is by planning ahead. Packaging and containers typically have a recycling triangle located on them that indicates what material it is made of.
If you find yourself questioning whether an item is recyclable, it is better to throw it away. Doing so saves the rest of the recyclable materials from ending up in the landfill — along with the careful efforts on many other Aggies who sorted out their recycling.
Ella Whitesides is an environmental science and sustainability major at Utah State University. This column was written as part of a class project focused on increasing campus awareness of the recycling program at USU.
— ella.whitesides@usu.edu