We must ask ourselves why Misconceptions about trash and recycling are so persistent throughout the country.
People often misunderstand what they can throw away and how they can throw it away.
For example, many people mistakenly assume you can throw anything you want into a dumpster – but this is decidedly not the case.
Why are misconceptions about trash and recycling so persistent?
And what can we do about it?
The Importance of Proper Trash and Recycling Habits
Why should we care so much about this issue?
What does it matter how we throw away and recycle things?
- Health and safety. First, we need to consider the health and safety of ourselves and the people around us. Improper disposal can present major hazards to people living in the house where the disposal occurs, as well as sanitation workers. Throwing away dangerous chemicals or sharp objects in your regular trash could end up causing significant damage or even killing people.
- Environmental protection. We also need to think about the environmental impact of what we’re throwing away. For example, if you throw away old electronics or batteries with your regular trash, they’ll end up in a landfill. From there, chemicals and pollutants can leach into the soil, making it harder for plants to grow and interfering with local wildlife. It can even get into the water supply, affecting human populations nearby.
- Responsible recycling. Throwing something away instead of recycling is also irresponsible. Doing this can put additional strain on already finite materials, making it difficult to achieve sustainability.
- Efficiency. Finally, understand that proper disposal habits can make everything in the trash and recycling industry more efficient. Workers are able to spend less time on menial tasks and more time on important ones.
Why Misconceptions Are Prevalent
Why are misconceptions in this area so prevalent?
There are several possible explanations.
- Lack of public information. For starters, people may not have access to the information they need in order to dispose of things and recycle things properly. In many cases, you have to go out of your way to discover local sanitation policies and recommended guidelines. This information isn’t available conveniently, so most people dismiss it or don’t bother to learn it.
- Confusing concepts. Plastic is plastic, right? We have one term that can be applied to a variety of different synthetic materials, yet there are many different types of plastics, each with different requirements for proper recycling or disposal. While some concepts are easy to grasp, others are much more confusing.
- Evolving standards. It doesn’t help that our standards for disposal and recycling are constantly evolving. We’re able to recycle more materials than ever before, and the way we recycle it is very different than the way we recycled in the past. It’s tough to stay entirely current in this environment.
- Intuitive assumptions. It’s also important to address the fact that many of our intuitive assumptions are wrong. For example, you might know that cardboard is recyclable, so it’s reasonable to assume that your pizza box is also recyclable; but if that cardboard is stained with pizza grease or if it still has leftover cheese on it, it’s not recyclable at all, and it’s better to simply throw it away.
- Generational habit acquisition. We should also acknowledge that sometimes, lack of knowledge and bad habits are cross-generational. Rather than learning disposal concepts from the ground up, most people learn what to do by watching their parents and family members. If no one in your family practices responsible disposal habits, you’ll falsely assume that this is the correct way to do things.
What Can We Do?
So what can we do to solve this problem?
- Improve public education on all fronts. We already know many of the misconceptions that exist – so it wouldn’t take much time or effort to address them, at least on an individual level. The trouble is finding a way to reach a large number of people with the proper information. There are many fronts we can utilize in this effort, including local trash collection institutions, recycling facilities, and even local businesses and organizations.
- Lend ground-level support. We can also spend more time talking to our friends and family members, offering ground level support and insights to the people we know best. People are much more likely to listen to people close to them than governmental agencies or companies.
- Emphasize the consequences of improper disposal. It may be possible to reach more people and convince them of the importance of following good habits if we emphasize the consequences of improper disposal. What happens if you don’t follow the rules?
- Remain patient. It takes time to educate a population. We need to be patient in this endeavor.
Garbage and recycling habits are more important than most people realize, yet misconceptions continue to interfere with our collective results.
Still, with a bit of effort and dedication, we can educate more people and eventually make a meaningful change.
