Started a debate with my roommate about recycling and now I don't know where I stand

Last Tuesday I got into it with my roommate Mark about whether recycling even matters. I've always been the type to rinse out every jar and sort every piece of plastic, but he pulled up this article saying most of it just ends up in landfills anyway. It made me think: if I'm just making myself feel better while the system is broken, am I actually doing any good? So now I'm stuck between wanting to keep recycling out of habit and feeling like I should just throw everything in the trash to protest the whole thing. Anyone else go through this weird mental flip flop with their own beliefs?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannah40025d ago

Last week I literally had the exact same crisis with my bf, like I was sorting through a whole bin of plastic containers and he goes "did you know 90% of that stuff isn't actually recycled?" and now I just stand there staring at the trash can for five minutes every time. It's such a mental rollercoaster (I hate that I'm even admitting this).

piperbailey25d ago

Wait isn't that stat just for like plastic bottles or something? Because I feel like I've seen a million conflicting recycling facts and my brain just shuts down now when I try to sort anything. I literally just throw stuff in the regular bin if I have to think about it for more than two seconds. It's honestly exhausting trying to keep up with what's actually recyclable in my area because it changes every few months.

milarodriguez25d ago

Bet the real issue is how recycling rules are different for apartments vs houses. My building has one giant dumpster that says "mixed recycling" on it and I swear the janitor just dumps everything in the regular trash compactor at night. Like what's even the point of sorting when the system itself is broken?