Recycling in Cookeville may not be as honest as it seems

Logan Bowman - Sophomore | Feature

Every day, Americans are told to recycle to keep material waste down and landfills empty, yet a startling amount of plastic recycling collected isn't actually recycled.

Unfortunately, the end result is that 91% of discarded plastics are dumped in landfills, and the 9% that do get recycled are often unable to be broken down for various reasons. This figure doesn't bode well, as there is an ever-increasing demand for plastic-based goods.

It's no secret that plastic recycling is lacking compared to the large amount of plastic waste generated each year. Many factors are responsible for America's poor plastic recycling infrastructure.

Plastics are exceptionally costly to recycle, partially due to the materials they are made from and the processing needed to break down certain plastics. For reference, glass recycling costs only about $35 per ton, while plastic recycling can cost as much as $200 per ton. Due to the expensive nature of plastic recycling, many plants only accept certain plastics or do not accept plastic at all.

Not all plastics are created equally. Some plastics, referred to as "impure plastics," are unable to be broken down into their base components due to the material they are made of. Plastics are built to last, so many manufacturers create their plastics with materials that are unable to be broken down for recycling. This results in large quantities of plastic being thrown in landfills.

A plastic's worth often comes down to how profitable it is. Seven different types of industry-grade plastic exist, yet only types one and two plastic are accepted locally. "Types one and two plastics are the only plastics that sell... [plastics] are much harder to sell in the first place compared to other recyclables," said Rob Wright of Cookeville Recycling.

Proposals have been made to solve the numerous problems with the U.S.'s recycling infrastructure. Creating a federal recycling program that directly funds recycling facilities could amend the steep costs to recycle plastics. Quality control on plastics could prevent "impure plastics" from ending up on recycling lines. Advancements in technology could be utilized in the sorting and breaking down of plastics.

The state of recycling in the United States often comes down to local communities' willingness to invest into recycling.

"Some areas put a lot of money and resources into expanding their recycling to try to do as much management of the recycling as possible, while others do the bare minimum possible. It's a lot of attitudes; things of that nature," said Rob Wright.