Are My Recycling Habits Hurting More Than Helping?

In today’s day and age, everyone is trying to make a more conscious effort when they’re

throwing things out. We’re using canvas bags at the grocery store, reusing mugs and

bottles, and recycling our goods at a larger rate! But are some of your habits doing worse

damage than others? And are some of the fixes not actually helping? In some cases, it just

might be. We’ve compiled a short list of things that might not be as beneficial as you may

think, and may not be worth the extra effort. Let’s take a look.

Tote Bags

While many people are ditching plastic bags at checkout, tote bags have become somewhat

of the new norm in terms of what’s protecting all of your newly bought produce and ice cream.

But studies have now shown that the footprint in

order to produce AND distribute specific types of bags is actually larger than it is for a plastic

bag.

It’s important to understand that in order to make these bags useful, they need to be used, in

some cases, 300+ times before they become less wasteful than a plastic bag.

High Volume Stores

Some stores, while promoting recycling on the outside, are also focused on the

intake of a ton of product that comes packaged, wrapped, and requires trucks to get it

there. The fact that there may be a lack of plastic bags at checkout doesn’t make up for

the rest of the process that involved getting your product on the shelf. To make sure you’re

helping with these initiatives, check with your local stores to see what they’re doing about

reducing packaging and travel pollution associated with their offerings. The answers you

get might just lead to a big change!

Of course, your own waste and recycling habits are also a focal point here, and it’s imperative

that you begin your process by seeing how you can improve at home, and move forward

from there.

Providing homes and businesses with effective waste management is a service that City

Carting & Recycling has been doing for over 35 years. If you’re looking for dumpster rental

or services, give us a call at (888) 413-3344 to request a free quote, or visit us on our

website! For more information, tips and tricks, make sure to Like our Facebook page!