09 Jun Recycling | Fatal Conveniences™
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The average American citizen produces over 1600 pounds of waste every year, more than any other country in the world. And we only recycle about 35% of this waste, which is less than any other country in the world. We all agree that recycling is the right thing to do, but we’re not actually doing it. And when we do, we’re not doing it effectively. It’s time to be honest about the delusion of recycling.
WELCOME TO Fatal Conveniences™. 
Every time you crumple up that plastic bottle or aluminum can and toss it in that big blue bin, you’ve done your part, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Most of the recycling we toss in those bins ends up in landfills. That’s right, your recycling ends up in the same place as your trash. Oh, but it gets worse.
In this episode,
I explain what actually happens to all the plastic you think you’re recycling. And I dispel some other myths and delusions we’ve been made to believe over the years. But most importantly, I give you some actionable advice to reduce your waste entirely. If we can cut down on the use of these “recyclables”, we can help end the problem for good. Remember, once you know better, you can do better. And that’s what we all have to do when it comes to recycling– do better.
BREAKDOWN
[00:02:44] The history of recycling
[00:04:36] Blue bins of delusion
[00:07:16] Recycling plastic and paper
[00:10:15] Facts on plastic
[00:11:40] Conscious Consumerism & other ways to reduce waste
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Liz McNichols
Posted at 05:40h, 10 JuneI believe instead of encouraging recycling- we need to turn off the tap and stop using these products that create waste. There are fabulous companies that are changing packaging to compost containers. If everyone reduced 1 packaging item each week – the waste stream reduction would be incredible . For instance – I purchase laundry detergent in strips that come in a cardboard box that is post consumer created. The weight of shipping liquid laundry detergent across the country uses fossil fuels and so does the plastic packaging. Please talk about daily solutions.