‘We Cannot Recycle Our Way Out of Our Plastics Problem’

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): More than 35 people attended a presentation on recycling March 13 at the Grand County Public Library and most of them left with a different view of the practice than they might have had when they walked in. What they learned is that “plastic is trashing the recycling industry.” Suzanne Jones and Miriam Holsinger of the Alliance for Mission-Based Recycling, AMBR, said as much during the 90-minute presentation.

The recycling industry, they said, has stepped away from the original mission that took hold when recycling became a thing in the 1970s — and that was to reduce, reuse and then recycle.

There are no regulations governing recycling labels — those with the “chasing arrows” triangle symbol with a number from 1 to 7 inside  that have become ubiquitous on virtually all items encased in plastic packaging.

 According to AMBR, plastic packaging manufacturers put the label on plastics that are not recyclable for a number of reasons, such as they contain toxics, for example; leading people to falsely believe they’re purchasing a recyclable package. In fact, plastics with the numbers 1, 2 or 5, they said, are the only numbers that could reliably be recycled.

They are creating headaches at recycling centers, both at drop-off locations and the plants where recycling occurs.

Single-use packaging using plastics has grown rapidly in recent years, but little of it is actually recyclable, said the pair, who screened “Chasing Arrows: The Truth About Recycling,” an 11-minute film that claims that after 30 years of recycling, “the U.S. has failed to significantly stem the tide of plastic waste.”

 Indeed, only 9% of all the plastic ever made has been recycled, according to AMBR. “We cannot recycle our way out of our plastics problem,” said Jones, of Eco-Cycle in Boulder, Colorado. Jones and her company advocate for local and global “Zero Waste” solutions through collaborating with every sector of Boulder County, including residents, businesses, non-profits, schools and government.

AMBR supports efforts to eliminate single-use plastics  and to “switch to more recyclable, less toxic plastic resins in order to scale and improve viable recycling markets.”

The Alliance also advocates for changes in policy, infrastructure and packaging that would lead to a circular system for plastics recycling based on proven best practices and grounded in its recycling operations.

Perhaps most importantly, AMBR continues to expose false solutions “that fail to fundamentally improve plastics recycling, stem the tide of plastic waste or curb fossil fuel consumption,” according to its website.

Cardboard, paper and glass make up more than 73% of recycled material in the U.S. For Jones and Holsinger, as well as Sara Melnicoff of Moab Solutions, packaging can be redesigned, particularly single-use plastic packaging that overburdens recycling systems across the country.

Thirty-six percent of plastic packaging is for single use, a fact Jones said has created a “plastic packaging crisis.”

 Items that recycle well are paper, cardboard, cans and bottles. And while plastic items might have a recycle label, don’t count on it having any meaning. “They put the recycle symbol on, but it’s not recyclable,” said Jones. Black plastic, red solo cups, plastic pouches are not recyclable but have the symbol that says they are.

“I’d like to see label laws,” said Jones. “We need new regulations and support.”

With so much plastic that isn’t recyclable gumming  up the works — it has to be separated from the plastic that is — the already tight margins in any recycling business are affected due to increased labor costs.

“The economics have to work. The sale of material has to cover the cost to sort and transport,” said Jones.

In a call to action, the women advocate for regulations that standardize packaging to remove harmful chemicals and problematic products; mandate recycled minimum content standards to stabilize markets; make companies buy back their plastic packaging and reuse it; standardize and require truth in labeling; and reject “greenwashing” and false solutions, such as plastics to fuel.

“And get rid of the chasing arrows,” said Jones. “It’s misleading.”

 There’s a bit of a catch-22 in play. “We can’t recycle our way out of this crisis and we can’t solve it without recycling,” said Jones.

Advances in technology have made it easier to recycle. People no longer have to remove the cap when recycling plastic bottles, a common misconception.

Glass is perhaps the most recyclable of all items, but it’s heavy, which makes it expensive to transport.

“Glass can be recycled again and again and again, but it’s also great as a reusable,” said Holsinger.

Melnicoff said Moab’s recycling center ships glass to Salt Lake City, a distance that isn’t cost prohibitive.

Plastic bags are recyclable. They are used to make plastic lumber, such as Trex decking.

The first commercial use of plastic — made from fossil fuels — began in 1907. Jones noted that in 1950 less than two million tons of plastic existed in the world. In 2024 alone, about 450 million tons of plastic was produced.

“The plastics industry is our fossil fuel industry,” said Jones.

 Courtesy: www.moabtimes.com