Recycling, Recycling, Recycling...yes it is a good thing and I have advocated for it in the past, but its not all good. It still uses energy, produces CO2, and involves plastic.
I did a round of school recycling with my environmental buddy, and we were discouraged by what we found. The recycling bin quickly filled up, and probably 85% of the haul was water bottles. This means that if each person used a reusable water bottle instead of the plastic ones, we would have 85% fewer things that need to be recycled. Water bottles are simply used too much!
We need to remember that recycling is not a end all solution. We still need to focus on reducing, reducing, reducing. The recycling bin is not a magic portal to a greener land. Someone has to deal with all of that waste, and so does the environment.
PS. When you do recycle please either finish your beverage or rinse out the bottle. It was amazing how many half filled bottles and cans that we found. If you aren't going to finish your soda, then don't buy it. Not only is this wasteful, but it is also just disgusting to deal with and inconsiderate to those that have to. Thanks :]
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