TIL my local recycling center doesn't actually recycle half of what I bring them

Dropped off my plastics last Saturday at the Eastside facility. Asked the worker if they actually process everything. He flat out told me no, most of the #3-#7 plastics just get sent to the landfill anyway. Only #1 and #2 bottles are worth their time to sort. Thirty years of sorting my trash for nothing. Anyone else find out their recycling program is basically a sham?

3 comments

3 Comments

wren63823d ago

Wait does burning actually count as "recycling" though or are they just calling it that to make people feel better? Like is that the official line from the city website or did your buddy just find out through the grapevine?

william_harris23d ago

My buddy found out his city just burns their recycling for energy.

kelly38523d ago

My hometown in Oregon did this too @william_harris, and it's honestly cleaner than landfill dumping because modern waste-to-energy plants use scrubbers for emissions. Burning cuts landfill volume by 90% while generating power, so it beats shipping recyclables to countries that just dump them in the ocean. I get the gut reaction against burning, but the data shows it's often the lesser evil compared to buried trash or failed recycling programs.