When I first started at UFV, I was really impressed by their recycling efforts. It is rare to find a solitary garbage bin on campus; they are usually in groups of four, separating organics, refundables, mixed recycling, and landfill waste. In UFV’s 2018 waste audit, 39 per cent of all waste was diverted to the landfill, 31 per cent was recycled, 27 per cent was organics, and 3 per cent was refundable bottles. UFV produces only 7 per cent more landfill waste than recyclable materials, which is a pretty impressive statistic. But where does all that recycling actually end up?
All mixed recycling — everything you throw in the containers at school, or place in the blue bin outside your house on collection days — ends up at a local materials recovery facility, where it takes a significant amount of technology, energy, and manpower to separate. All the plastics, metals, papers, glass, and so on go into their own streams. These streams are then compressed into large bails and sold to companies, both domestic and international, that turn the recycled products into something new. However, if municipalities produce more recycling than the market can absorb, your old spaghetti jars may end up in the dump anyway because the city has nowhere else to bring them.
Contamination of recycled materials is a huge issue as well, such as not washing food from recyclable containers or mistakenly throwing non-recyclable items into the blue bin. This contamination not only costs the city more money to sort, but has become a larger issue with China, the world’s biggest buyer of recycled material, imposing much stricter standards to what it would import after receiving so many unusable, contaminated shipments. In January they banned the import of 24 different materials, including mixed paper products that have more than a 0.5 per cent contamination rate. Contamination often has to do with confusion over what is and isn’t recyclable, which can be an honest mistake since our things are being packaged in multiple kinds of new materials.
Additionally, all of the fuel used and carbon emissions produced to pick up all that recycling in trucks from the curb — especially in the more rural neighbourhoods — is a huge strain on our resources. After picking up recycling from each house, sorting it all in material recovery facilities, and then shipping it to whichever market chooses to buy it, are we really saving the planet?
We have been taught the three sacred R’s of environmentalism since elementary school: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. However, we are doing far too little to reduce and reuse our waste, and are haphazardly throwing garbage into the recycling bin to banish some of the guilt we feel over the gaping hole in the ozone layer.
What can you do if recycling is so ineffective yet you still want to be a responsible global citizen? Let me offer some suggestions:
- Zero or low waste: Try to reduce and reuse your waste as much as possible, but don’t get discouraged if you can’t fit a year’s worth of garbage into a mason jar. Notice where most of your garbage comes from and make small changes to alter your habits. You will soon notice that reducing your waste has a positive effect on your bank balance as you refuse to buy as much take-out and single-use products. Blogs like Trash is for Tossers has multitudes of ideas on how to switch to a zero-waste lifestyle.
- Recycle properly: This means washing all containers that once held any food, lotion, or any other product that could contaminate the other recyclables. Avoid throwing garbage into the recycling bin by using Recycle B.C.’s app to search whether or not an item belongs in the blue bin.
- Repair: Try to fix something before throwing it away. Sadly, most companies make electronics, appliances, and clothes with short lifespans so you will be caught in the consumer trap that requires you to keep buying newer items. Avoid this by buying quality clothing, computers, and other products that will save you money in the long-run and divert waste from the landfill.
- Donate and buy used: If you are not currently taking advantage of Abbotsford’s bomb thrift stores like the MCC on Gladys Road, I feel bad for you. The second-hand market is a dream for all those who care about the state of the planet.
- Join a shoreline cleanup: Not all waste or recyclable material ends up where it’s supposed to be but instead pollute our oceans, lakes, and rivers. Surfrider organizes various cleanups around Vancouver you can sign up for, or you could be ambitious and lead one yourself right here in the Fraser Valley. At the very least, bring a bag to collect garbage on your next hike or while you walk the dog.
There you have it folks, ways to feel like you are still doing your part in the conservation of our planet. Have a beautiful, waste-free summer!
Image: Kayt Hine/The Cascade
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.
