Where the world stands on recycling

Generally, it's better to recycle things than to trash them—but that's not always true. What we really need to do is think harder about how we produce waste and how we dispose of it. It will always be better not to produce waste in the first place than to recycle it, so reducing the need for things is always the best option. That means pressurizing manufacturers to use less packaging, for example. Reusing things is also generally better than recycling them, because recycling takes energy. (It takes energy to power the truck that collects your recycled material and energy is also used at the plant where things are recycled.) So it's better to keep a plastic ice-cream container and reuse it as a storage box than to send it off to be recycled. You're saving the material you'd use if you bought a new box, but you're also saving the energy that would be needed to recycle the old one.



The 100% recycled symbol encourages recycling and reuse



Photo: 100% recycled: look out for this symbol. By buying recycled products, you're helping to create a market that encou6rages even more recycling.



Buying recycled products is another important part of recycling. If no-one's prepared to buy recycled, it doesn't pay people to recycle things in the first place. Why do recycled things cost more if they're made of old trash? Recycled things are often more expensive than non-recycled ones, because they're made in smaller quantities and it often takes more effort to make them and get them to the shops. But remember this: although they have a higher cost, they usually have a lower environmental cost: they are doing less damage to the planet.



That's not always true. Some cynical manufacturers have seized on the public's enthusiasm for recycled goods. They produce costly, pointless recycled gimmicks that make little if any difference to the planet. Sometimes recycled products are made in energy-hungry factories and shipped or (worse still) air-freighted halfway round the world. Then it's possible they are actually doing more damage to the planet than the cheap, disposable products they're pretending to replace. If you're not sure whether a recycled product is all it seems, contact the manufacturer and ask them to explain exactly how and where it is made. Ask them to explain exactly how it's helping the environment. A genuine manufacturer, truly motivated by environmental concern, will always be pleased and proud to do this.