I have mounted my trusty steed and couched my lance, in preparation for tilting at the Waste Management recycling service. As documented in the EPA report on plastic recycling in the USA for 2018, only an estimated and abysmal 8.7% of plastic waste was actually recycled. From the same report, plastic waste recycling in the US has always been less than 10%. Because of these two disappointing numbers, I want to know what happens to the plastic waste I consistently pay Waste Management to remove from my residence.
I started with two documents from Waste Management. The first is their description of which
recyclable materials they accept. The diligent reader will notice this isn't really very helpful, because it doesn't specify which plastics or which metals.
The second document is their
2022 Sustainability Report which contains some numbers for 2021. Unfortunately, it doesn't compare the quantities collected to the quantities actually recycled.
I did speak with someone in the WM Customer Service department and was told he would find the numbers for me by the end of 18 April 2023. I look forward to continuing the conversation with him.
To acknowledge my own biases going into this conversation with WM, I agree with the claims about plastic recycling in the USA being a fraud perpetrated on the American consumer by a combination of the plastics industry and municipalities. I also agree we must do something about that, and quickly. I want to start by ensuring my household isn't making the problem worse and isn't paying for a service which I'm not receiving.
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climateactivism
