We’re all familiar with recycling bottles and paper. But recycling is a much more complex process with the potential to deliver powerful results for the planet. Here’s a handy recycling guide for your family so you can start recycling at home.
What is recycling, and why is it important?
Recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be discarded and turning them into something new. This helps reduce waste, pollution, and the need to produce new materials and goods.
Recycling is commonly known by the “3 R’s:” Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. However, there is a less well-known yet more accurate list called the “5 R’s:” Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle. Notice that “Recycle” is the last item listed, so before discarding something, you’re encouraged to take these steps:
- 1. Refuse: Avoid taking or buying the item in the first place.
- 2. Reduce: Use less of the item.
- 3. Reuse: Use the item again or give it to someone who can use it.
- 4. Repurpose: Find a different way to use the item than its original purpose.
If none of these options are possible, you can move on to the final step, Recycle.
You may have heard about a sixth and final “R,” Rot. This applies to food waste and organic matter like leaves and grass clippings. The idea is to compost these items instead of tossing them in the trash.
The concept of the “5 (or 6) R’s” is great to teach young children. It will stay with them for a lifetime and make them more conscious consumers.
What items can be recycled?
Many household items can be recycled, but it’s important to know the rules regarding what can and cannot be put in your recycle bins.
Some of the most common items to recycle include:
- Paper, like newspapers, printer paper, cardboard, and magazines
- Plastics, like containers, bottles, and jugs
- Metals, like aluminum and steel cans and tin foil
- Glass, like bottles and jars
- Electronics and batteries, like phones, computers, and batteries
It’s essential to check with your local recycling center to find out which items they can and cannot recycle. For example, some municipalities only accept #1 and #2 plastics (indicated by the number inside a recycling triangle on the container), which are the most economically viable types of plastics for recycling.
Items like plastic bags, Styrofoam, mirrors, and many types of gift wrap can’t be recycled, even though they technically fit into one of the categories above. However, many grocery stores accept clean plastic shopping bags, bread and produce packaging, and other types of plastic wrapping for recycling.
Special processes for electronics and batteries
Sometimes, there is confusion around how to recycle electronics and batteries because they can’t be recycled with your other household materials. Doing so is a fire hazard. Instead, you can usually find local drop-off points for batteries and e-waste at hardware, electronics, and even grocery stores. Plus, your community may host electronics recycling events that make it easy, convenient, and free to dispose of these items properly.
Once collected, e-waste goes to either a recovery facility to be refurbished and resold or a recycling facility to be sorted, cleaned, and processed into materials that can be used again in manufacturing. Batteries undergo a special process that safely discards their hazardous materials before recycling.
>> See more about Texas recycling of electronics here
What happens if you don’t recycle properly?
Including unrecyclable materials in your bins may not seem like a big deal, but proper sorting is actually quite important.
Once your recyclables are collected, they are screened at a recovery facility. If too many unrecyclable items are detected, the batch is considered “contaminated” and sent to the landfill.
According to the California Management Review, contamination costs the U.S. “at least $300 million per year in additional labor, excess processing, poor material quality, longer downtime due to equipment damages and increased safety hazards.”
What is “wish-cycling?”
“Wish-cycling” occurs when a consumer isn’t sure whether an item can be recycled but adds it to their recycling bin, hoping it can. Though well-intentioned, this can lead to costly batch contamination.
The important lesson for children and adults is to check the rules of your local recycling center if you’re uncertain. If you’re still unsure, it’s better to put the item in the trash rather than your recycling bin.
How effective is recycling?
The Recycling Project’s 2024 report, The State of Recycling, provides updated information about the effectiveness of residential recycling efforts. And while recycling can be very effective when done correctly and fully, we as a nation have room for improvement:
- Only 21% of residential recyclables are actually being recycled.
- Only 43% of households recycle (due to lack of access and/or insufficient communication/outreach). An efficient recycling system would have at least 90% of households participating.
- 95% of materials received by recycling facilities should be able to be processed into saleable commodities, but only about 87% of material is sorted and sent to market.
In Texas, only 64% of households have access to recycling. Of those Texas homes with access, only 58% use their available recycling service.
What are the benefits of recycling?
Household recycling has many benefits, including:
Saving energy
Zero waste strategies like recycling could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 400 metric tons of CO2 annually. For comparison, that’s like taking over 20% of the country’s coal-fired power plants off the electric grid.
Using recycled materials to manufacture goods uses 30% to 90% less energy than making them from new materials because it requires less extraction of fossil fuels, trees, and metals.
Saving water
Processing virgin materials requires a lot of water compared to using existing materials. For example, it takes about 400 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to make a t-shirt, 1.85 gallons to make a single plastic water bottle, and 62,000 gallons to produce one ton of steel.
Saving materials
Burning or burying trash wastes valuable materials like aluminum, paper, glass, and plastics. If we recycle 100% of these materials, it would greatly alleviate the need to go back to extract more bauxite ore or silica from the planet.
Creating jobs
Recycling creates new job opportunities. The more we recycle, the more jobs we can create in our communities. If 75% of the nation recycled, 2.3 million more jobs would be created.
Recycling for families: How can children get involved in the recycling process?
Getting children involved in household recycling sets a positive example and helps establish planet-friendly habits in their early, formative years. Here are a few ways to get youngsters to take part in family recycling efforts at home:
- Make up recycling games or family challenges. Any game or competition makes recycling much more fun and less of a chore.
- Visit a recycling center. Some community recycling centers may offer tours or guest speakers who can answer questions about the process and importance of recycling.
- Practice the 6 “R’s” at home. Reminding children to use the “R’s” of recycling — like repurposing items for craft projects or inventions, using less of a material, or composting — helps cement the ideas.
- Start or promote a recycling program at your local school. If you notice an opportunity to recycle in your child’s school or classrooms, work together to find a solution and present your proposal to the administration.
Conclusion
We hope this recycling guide has given you a deeper understanding of how simple yet powerful recycling can be — and how to do it effectively. Now, you and your family can start making a difference in your home. Getting everyone, including children, involved in the recycling process not only helps the planet but also instills valuable lessons about sustainability and mindful consumption. When everyone recycles, we create a cleaner, brighter future!