{"id":580067,"date":"2023-06-23T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-23T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/americans-are-throwing-out-half-their-household-recyclables-heres-why-the-hill\/"},"modified":"2023-06-23T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-06-23T10:00:00","slug":"americans-are-throwing-out-half-their-household-recyclables-heres-why-the-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/americans-are-throwing-out-half-their-household-recyclables-heres-why-the-hill\/","title":{"rendered":"#Americans are throwing out half their household recyclables.\u00a0Here\u2019s\u00a0why \u2013 The Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4140862fd39\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4140862fd39\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/americans-are-throwing-out-half-their-household-recyclables-heres-why-the-hill\/#Story_at_a_glance\" >Story at a glance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/americans-are-throwing-out-half-their-household-recyclables-heres-why-the-hill\/#A_lack_of_knowledge_and_lack_of_confidence\" >A lack of knowledge and lack of confidence\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/americans-are-throwing-out-half-their-household-recyclables-heres-why-the-hill\/#How_recycling_habits_could_be_improved\" >How recycling habits could be improved\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Story_at_a_glance\"><\/span><strong>Story at a glance<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<ul>\n<li>A new report from The Recycling Partnership found that most Americans believe recycling is positive. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<ul>\n<li>But the report also found that half of all household recyclable materials in the country end up in the trash. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<ul>\n<li>This is partially due to people\u2019s confusion about what can be recycled and mistrust in what is actually h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ening to the items they do put in the recycling bin.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">Raz Lev, 41, takes his recycling seriously. He and his family regularly fill up the two recycling bins that sit by the back door of their Mountain View, Calif.,\u00a0home with cardboard boxes, plastic\u00a0milk jugs, water bottles, aluminum cans and paper.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The family also routinely drives to the supermarket to recycle bundles of plastic grocery bags and will trek out to the city\u2019s recycling center, about a 15-minute drive from home, to drop off old electronics.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes we cut corners,\u00a0like the kids will throw a toilet paper roll in the trash and not in the recycling,\u201d Lev said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He added\u00a0that his family also \u201cslacks off\u201d by not doing a better job of separating plastics.\u00a0\u201cWe put some stuff in the cart that the city doesn\u2019t want,\u201d\u00a0he said.\u00a0\u201cBut\u00a0I just don\u2019t understand what they want and what they don\u2019t want.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"><strong>America is changing faster than ever!<\/strong><strong> <\/strong><strong>Add Changing America to your <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ChangingAmerica\/\"><strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/a><strong> or <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/changingamerica\"><strong>Twitter<\/strong><\/a><strong> feed to stay on top of the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">Lev is not the only American\u00a0who\u00a0is confused about his city\u2019s recycling guidelines. And that confusion plays a huge role in\u00a0which recyclables\u00a0make\u00a0it into the right bin.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/recyclingpartnership.org\/knowledge-report-download\/\">A new report<\/a>\u00a0from The Recycling Partnership, a Washington,\u00a0D.C.-based nonprofit that works to advance recycling programs, found that about half of all household recyclable material is thrown out in regular trash bins.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That means that around 15 million tons of recyclable material winds up in landfills\u00a0every year, according to the report.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The report\u2019s\u00a0crafters\u00a0observed\u00a0the at-home recycling habits of 16 different homes, conducted over 100 interviews, surveyed over\u00a010,000\u00a0people\u00a0and conducted 7 community recycling pilot programs for the\u00a0study.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Drawing on that research, the\u00a0report\u00a0identified\u00a0two main reasons why Americans are not recycling as much as they could be.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_lack_of_knowledge_and_lack_of_confidence\"><\/span><strong>A lack of knowledge and lack of confidence<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Most Americans rely on product labels\u00a0to figure out\u00a0what can and cannot be recycled.\u00a0Many\u00a0people are also confused by those same labels.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>According to the report, 78 percent\u00a0of people\u00a0look to product labels for recycling information and 70 percent admit to being confused by many of\u00a0them.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the report also found that\u00a075 percent of\u00a0Americans who live in communities with recycling programs\u00a0do not recall getting any kind of communication from their local program.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0quite clear why some communities have better communication with their local recycling programs than others.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPerhaps their community is not resourced to provide communications around the recycling program, or it could be because we haven\u2019t designed those communications to really be recognizable,\u201d said Louise Bruce,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/recyclingpartnership.org\/staff\/louise-bruce\/\">managing director<\/a>\u00a0of the Center for Sustainable Behavior &amp; Impact at The Recycling Partnership.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Some of the\u00a0recycling rules\u00a0that most commonly cause confusion\u00a0have\u00a0to do with what can\u00a0actually be\u00a0recycled.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When asked if\u00a0different materials\u00a0should go in recycling bins, 46 percent of people said \u201cyes\u201d for Styrofoam and 31 percent said \u201cyes\u201d for food waste, according to the report.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Neither Styrofoam nor food waste should be placed in an outdoor or commercial recycling cart. This is because Styrofoam is not recyclable and the grease and oils from food waste can\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.treehugger.com\/what-can-you-recycle-to-go-food-containers-5190004\">harm recycling machinery<\/a>, potentially ruining complete batches of recyclables.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Thirty percent of people also admitted to being confused about just how clean something needs to\u00a0be\u00a0in order\u00a0to\u00a0be\u00a0recycled and what\u00a0should be\u00a0done\u00a0with items that are made up of multiple materials, the report adds.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt that moment when you are standing above the recycling bin, I think we are asking people to answer quite a lot of questions,\u201d said Bruce. \u201cThat results sometimes in feelings of anxiety, feelings of confusion that might prevent them from recycling that material correctly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The overwhelming majority of Americans believe that recycling is\u00a0good. One survey included in the report found that 8 out of 10 people living in the U.S. think that recycling has a \u201cpositive impact\u201d and is a \u201cvaluable public service.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But confidence in the recycling process is declining. Even\u00a0a large portion\u00a0of what the report calls \u201ccommitted recyclers\u201d\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0fully trust their local recycling program,\u00a0with 44 percent\u00a0of that group\u00a0admitting they are unsure if their recycling is not just going in the trash.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Another 35 percent\u00a0of committed recyclers\u00a0admitted to wondering if their local recycling program is \u201chandling recycling properly.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_recycling_habits_could_be_improved\"><\/span><strong>How recycling habits could be improved<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The report suggests these problems can be fixed, however. It\u00a0poses some\u00a0possible solutions\u00a0that could\u00a0bridge\u00a0the recycling \u201cbehavior gap.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Among them:\u00a0better communication between recycling providers and customers.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>People would feel more confident in their recycling program and their ability to recycle properly if they received recycling info cards,\u00a0stickers\u00a0or signs with visual information on what can and\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0be recycled, according to the report.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Another solution\u00a0suggested by the report is\u00a0simplifying the recycling process. A third of people asked for more,\u00a0larger\u00a0or better recycling collection when asked by researchers from the Recycling Partnership\u00a0about\u00a0what their local recycling program could do to better help them, according to the report.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline-related-stories\"><\/aside>\n<p>Another 58 percent of people\u00a0said they do not have everything they need to recycle well, describing their collection as too small to handle all of their recyclables.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it\u2019s hard,\u00a0then only people who are super motivated will do it,\u201d\u00a0said Lev.\u00a0\u201cBut\u00a0if it\u2019s easy,\u00a0then almost everyone will do it.\u201d\u00a0<br \/>\n            <!-- Article Footer Copyright --><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"article-copyright\">Copyright 2023 Nexstar <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a> Inc. 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Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/changing-america\/sustainability\/climate-change\/4062424-americans-are-throwing-out-half-their-household-recyclables-heres-why\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Story at a glance A new report from The Recycling Partnership found that most Americans believe recycling is positive. But the report also found that half of all household recyclable materials in the country end up in the trash. This is partially due to people\u2019s confusion about what can be recycled and mistrust in what&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":580068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/03\/Recycling_susataiability_climate_trash_10262022_Getty.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-580067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=580067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580067\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/580068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=580067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=580067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=580067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}