Why Most Recycling Doesn’t Actually Get Recycled
♻️ The Big Recycling Lie
Raise your hand if you’ve ever carefully sorted your recyclables, felt good about it, and assumed you were saving the planet. 🙋
Now, what if I told you that most of it never actually gets recycled?
That’s right—despite our best efforts, the majority of plastic, paper, and glass we toss into those little green bins ends up in landfills, incinerators, or worse—floating in the ocean.
If you’re wondering how this happened and what you can do instead, keep reading.
🗑️ The Ugly Truth About Recycling
1. Only 9% of Plastic Ever Made Has Been Recycled
Let’s start with a horrifying stat: Since the 1950s, the world has produced over 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic, and only 9% of it has ever been recycled.
Where’s the rest?
❌ 79% is sitting in landfills or the environment
❌ 12% has been incinerated (releasing toxic emissions into the air)
And the worst part? Most plastic can’t even be recycled properly because of contamination, mixed materials, or low market demand.
2. The Recycling System is Broken
Recycling could work, but the system we have isn’t built for success.
🔹 Contamination Ruins Recycling Batches
- If one greasy pizza box or one non-recyclable plastic ends up in the bin, the whole batch can get rejected.
- Food residue, mixed materials, and non-recyclable plastics make sorting a nightmare.
🔹 Not Everything Labeled "Recyclable" Actually Gets Recycled
- Ever seen a plastic package with the little recycling triangle? That doesn’t mean it will actually get recycled.
- Only plastics #1 and #2 (like water bottles) are commonly recycled. Plastics #3-7? Basically garbage.
🔹 China Stopped Taking Our Recycling in 2018
- For years, Western countries shipped millions of tons of “recyclables” to China to deal with.
- In 2018, China said “Nah, we’re done” and banned most waste imports, exposing just how little of our own recycling we were actually processing.
- Since then, much of our “recycling” has been piling up in landfills or getting dumped in poorer countries.
🔹 It’s Often Cheaper to Make New Plastic
- Recycling isn’t just an environmental process—it’s a business.
- If it’s cheaper to make new plastic than to recycle old plastic, guess which option companies choose? (Hint: Not the sustainable one.)
🚨 So What Happens to Your Recycling?
Here’s what actually happens when you toss something into the blue bin:
1️⃣ It gets sorted – If the batch is too contaminated, it might be sent straight to a landfill.
2️⃣ It gets bailed & sold – Some materials, like aluminum and cardboard, actually get recycled because they’re valuable.
3️⃣ Plastic? Probably not. – Most plastic isn’t recycled. It’s downcycled, incinerated, or dumped.
4️⃣ What about glass? – Only some glass gets recycled because it’s heavy and expensive to transport.
🤔 So… Is Recycling Pointless?
Not completely. Some materials—like aluminum, glass, and certain types of paper—are still widely recycled. But plastic recycling is mostly a scam.
The good news? There are better ways to reduce waste than relying on recycling.
✅ What You Can Do Instead
1. Reduce Plastic Use (Because Most of It Won’t Get Recycled Anyway)
🚫 Stop buying single-use plastic (bags, bottles, straws, coffee cups)
🌱 Choose plastic-free alternatives (stainless steel, glass, natural materials)
🛍️ Bring your own reusable bags, containers, and utensils
2. Switch to Materials That Actually Get Recycled
♻️ Glass & Aluminum – Infinitely recyclable and actually valuable
📦 Paper & Cardboard – Recycled more often than plastic
🔥 Compostable materials – Choose biodegradable options over plastic
3. Learn How to Recycle Correctly
✅ Check local recycling rules – Every city has different policies
✅ Rinse containers before recycling – Contaminated items ruin whole batches
✅ Know what plastics aren’t accepted – Stop wish-cycling and throwing everything in the bin “just in case”
4. Support Companies Using Recycled & Sustainable Materials
🔍 Look for brands that use recycled packaging & sustainable materials
💰 Support businesses working toward circular economy solutions
🚀 Choose companies like Cribbie that prioritize plastic-free alternatives
🌎 The Bottom Line: Recycling Alone Won’t Save Us
We’ve been sold the idea that recycling is the answer—but in reality, we need to produce and use less plastic in the first place.
If we want a real solution, we need to:
✔️ Use less plastic
✔️ Choose materials that actually get recycled
✔️ Support companies creating plastic-free products
That’s why at Cribbie, we make stainless steel, plastic-free food storage—because your lunch (and the planet) deserves better than single-use plastic.
👉 Ready to break up with plastic? Check out our stainless steel food storage here.
♻️ Small changes = big impact. Let’s fix the system together.