Recycling at home in the United States can be challenging due to the fractured system that leads to different rules in every community. Many programs have changed what they accept in response to China’s 2018 ban on recyclable imports, and the pandemic has further restricted options. However, new recycling technology and growing corporate interest in recovering materials have set the stage for a U.S. recycling recovery. But it is important for each individual to participate and ensure that materials get into the recycling system. This is crucial for a successful circular economy and to minimize our environmental impact.
It is crucial to know and follow the local recycling rules, as the U.S. does not have a national recycling system. Each community has its own rules, which depend on whether materials are economically feasible to recycle. To find your local recycling program’s website, you can use the Earth911 recycling locator, or check your community solid waste management site for recycling information. Many programs offer downloadable posters that describe the accepted and banned materials. We recommend placing these posters where you separate your recyclables from the trash for easy reference.
Setting up a recycling station near a sink is helpful for rinsing out bottles and cans. You can store recyclables in a single-stream bin or separate them into multiple bins, depending on your community’s recycling program. Encouraging kids to help with cleaning and sorting recyclables can also help build good recycling habits, turning our one-way, trash-centric lifestyle into a circular system.
It is important to clean and sort recyclables properly to avoid contamination. Materials should be dry before going into the recycling bin, and different materials cannot be combined in many recycling systems. For instance, glass must be separated by color, and certain plastics may not be accepted. It is also important to review what kinds of plastic are accepted and to find alternative ways to recycle them if they are not accepted in your local recycling program. Additionally, consider taking materials such as expanded polystyrene foam packing and e-commerce packaging to a local transfer station for recycling.
Some consumer and electronics product manufacturers have set up national mail-in or drop-off recycling programs. You can check product labels or visit the company’s website for recycling program information. In cases where you cannot recycle locally or through a mail-in program, consider refraining from purchasing the product until a convenient recycling option is available. TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box options also offer specialized recycling for a variety of material types.
