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https://www.sciencealert.com/experts-say-decades-of-recycling-hype-has-backfired-dramatically>
"You've just finished a cup of coffee at your favorite cafe. Now you're facing
a trash bin, a recycling bin and a compost bin. What's the most planet-friendly
thing to do with your cup?
Many of us would opt for the recycling bin – but that's often the wrong choice.
In order to hold liquids, most paper coffee cups are made with a thin plastic
lining, which makes separating these materials and recycling them difficult.
In fact, the most sustainable option isn't available at the trash bin. It
happens earlier, before you're handed a disposable cup in the first place.
In our research on waste behavior, sustainability, engineering design and
decision making, we examine what U.S. residents understand about the efficacy
of different waste management strategies and which of those strategies they
prefer.
In two nationwide surveys in the U.S. that we conducted in October 2019 and
March 2022, we found that people overlook waste reduction and reuse in favor of
recycling. We call this tendency recycling bias and reduction neglect.
Our results show that a decades-long effort to educate the U.S. public about
recycling has succeeded in some ways but failed in others. These efforts have
made recycling an option that consumers see as important – but to the detriment
of more sustainable options. And it has not made people more effective
recyclers."
Via Rixty Dixet.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
