Umm... Do we really need to reduce plastic usage? Isn't it all getting recycled now?

Umm.. I hate to tell you, but I think it's time. Santa claus is not real, sweetie pie!

So this is a first in a series of posts I am doing where I try to answer questions I get asked often in the context of climate change or sustainable practices. Hopefully it’ll be a resource like a ‘Climate change FAQ’ that other climate conscious people can use in their own conversations on the topic.

“I know plastic waste is a problem. I have seen videos of how whales are dying because they get caught up in plastic. And how animals are dying because they ate plastic bags.

But that’s all in the past and we are recycling plastic now right?”

Umm.. well, not really. Plastic is not really getting recycled that much. Only about 9% of all the plastic waste actually gets recycled!

~50% of the plastic that is thrown is still ending up in landfills. And the rest is incinerated or mismanaged!

Even as recycling technologies are expected to get better, the global rates of recycling have plateaued over the last few years and continue to remain at less than 10%.

So even as the rate of manufacture of plastic is increasingly exponentially, the rates of recycling have remained stagnant.

“But I have been reading articles like this one that says 95% of all PET bottles in India are getting recycled”

First, this stat is for India. For other places, even the rate of recycling PET bottles is lower at about 30%.

Second, All plastic is not equal. Not everything gets recycled equally easily.

There are 7 types of plastic.

Of these only the first 2 types actually get recycled.

PET (water bottles) and Shampoo/ detergent bottles are cans are actually the only kind of plastic that actually get recycled in most parts of the world today. All other types of plastic has recycling rates of less than 3%.

This chart explains the different types of plastic, the type of plastic in products we use regularly and the ones that can get recycled easily v/s not.

“But I look the ‘Recycle’ sign on products before I buy them”

So here’s the thing - this triangular sign is NOT the recycling sign!

How I felt when I first learned this

The triangle with a number (between 1 and 7) written inside it is the ‘Resin identification sign’ and is only used to indicate the type of plastic. These are identification codes for the type of plastic and can potentially be used to segregate plastic.

Don’t believe me?

This is literally on the Wikipedia page for The Resin identification codes (RICs)

“Due to resemblance to the recycling symbol, RIC symbols are often mistaken for the former.”

“Hmm okay... But I keep hearing about new technology that will improve recycling. I just heard of this technology that says we can convert plastic bottles into shoes. And Lego says 50% of its tiles are going to be made from recycled plastic.

So, two things here

1. Recyclable does not mean recycled

We may have the technology to convert certain types of plastic but that does not mean ALL of that type of plastic is getting recycled. For instance, the best recycling rates are for PET bottles. However even for them, the recycling rates are only about 33% in the US

2. Most recycling is actually ‘DOWN’cycling

The quality of plastic made after recycling is lower than the quality of the original product. For instance, PET bottles can be converted to fleece or carpets or car parts.

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So, recycling may not be as common as you think. In fact, propagating the myth of recycling has been a deliberate strategy by plastic producers to push consumers to buy more plastic.

This documentary captures it very well

So to summarise, plastic is not getting recycled all that much. Whatever is getting recycled is actually getting ‘down’ cycled. Hence, we don’t have an option but to cut down our plastic usage.

Before you go, if you want to learn some fun (and sobering) facts about this material that’s become such an integral part of our lives? Try the ‘Planet v/s Plastic’ quiz!

Let me know what you thought of this and share it with a friend who may have asked you this question!