WIBU to stop recycling my rubbish and just put it in the bin?

[FannyGall0ps]

Im it trying to be provocative, I’m just feeling very disillusioned with what happens to my recycling.

Naively, I thought my carefully washed recycling would be, well, recycled! But I’ve been reading up on how much of it is shipped across the world to developing countries and ends up in unregulated landfill or is incinerated.

Link to recent article below:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-48444874

I try to recycle as much as possible and I’m really careful about trying to do the right thing environmentally and teach the kids the right message: sustainability, reuse, recycle!

So I’m now really confused! Help!

*I’m not, not I’m it.

I mostly want reassurance that recycling is working.

I know what you mean. I do hate that I effectively wash my hands of it and blindly assume all is well once I've stuck it in the recycling bin.
I think the answer is to concentrate more on the Refuse/Reduce/Reuse aspects so that you have less to actually recycle.

I'd like to think that at least by putting recyclable things in my recycle bin, that at least some of it is recycled. I have a major recycling plant near me. I've seen it at work. I've also seen a few documentaries about it. I don't think the way ahead is just to dump everything in my generic bin.
Lately, I've been trying to reuse stuff myself.
I do get that you feel a bit down heartened though.

How would putting it in the normal refuse help?

I've been the same and it is disheartening.

However. Don't forget the other two: Reduce and Reuse. Try focusing on those and you will hopefully make an impact that way. That's what I'm trying to do anyway.

There are issues with plastic recycling and that's dreadful. But if you put it in the recycling at least there's a chance it'll get recycled. If you put it in landfill there's none. And glass, cans, paper etc are more easily recyclable so there's no excuse for binning those.

You need to do some research with your recycling provider. Yes it is true that a lot of our recycling is sent abroad and sombre agencies can be cagey about it. However in my locality various community groups have liased with the council and verified that out recycling does go to a facility in the uk - some people have even visited it. What that does mean is we are rather restricted in what is taken, because the facility can't take everything. I'd rather that than not knowing where it is going at all. Also all our household waste goes to any incinerator, so I'm happier putting plastic in that than it going to landfill.
Hopefully better awareness means other facilities will eventually come online. The upshot is you need to be responsible for all plastic you use, which does mean chafing down where it goes (and using less in the first place). Local Facebook groups are useful places to hook up with other people who may have already done some of this work.

@FiddlesticksAkimbo My thinking is that if less than half of it is actually recycled, is it better to save the whole load of it the journey across the world to add to pollution in a developing country?

I do still recycle, but now feel guilty about passing my rubbish on to a different county.

There is little to no point in bothering. All it does is makes you feel better about it. But it doesn't save the planet.

I know my stuff is being recycled because I’ve actually gone to the recycling Center. You can look up where your recycling goes you know. It’s not a mystery.

Thanks @Aprinceinapaupersgrave and @ConorMcGregorsChin I’m glad it’s not just me worrying about this. I absolutely Reduce/Reuse as much as I can. It just seems so wrong that the Government are allowed to ship it overseas.

@Saisong That’s really helpful. I’d much rather just put the items actually being recycled in to the bins. I’m going to email the council to see if they can shed some light on where my recycling goes. I may even try to get the school where my kids go involved too as they’ve been on a green drive lately and I think this is a really important message to share with the community.

I have also become disillusioned and take a lot less trouble than I did. I no longer wash all the really messy plastic tubs etc. until they are spotless because I don't have left over washing up water due to using the dishwasher carefully and see no point in using extra water to remove oil and other gunk from something that is going to be incinerated or taken to landfill anyway.

Add to this the fact that my neighbour has no idea what to recycle and probably contaminates the entire load with her carrier bags and bubble wrap and I feel as if I am wasting my time.

Perhaps focus your energy on reducing waste in the first instance. I understand that's much easier said than done, but, for example, where I live I can get a plastic free veg box, milk in glass bottles, oats in paper bags for oat milk, baking, etc, legumes in paper bags, etc. I think rather than focusing on recycling, which is largely out of our control, switch to thinking about consumption. I certainly can't be perfect, but we produce a lot less rubbish than we did a year ago just by making some changes on how we shop, eat, clean, etc