A Redditor has shared an infuriating video of a trash truck picking up recycling bins — not distinguishing between waste for landfills and recycling plants.
In a post on the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit from two years ago, a user uploaded a video of a waste management truck putting recycling in the same space as the landfilled garbage.
The caption explained that this wasn't a one-time occurrence.
"Every week, WastePro just throws my recycling in with the garbage," the user wrote. "They have two separate trucks for each. (North-central Florida) Contacted their office for months but nothing is ever done about it."
Plastic recycling is a vital part of responsible waste disposal. Only about 5% of plastic waste is recycled in the United States, and as a country, we throw away around 40 million tons, according to Statista.
And even though they're recyclable, over 80% of plastic water bottles end up in landfills because of laziness or negligence. In landfills, plastic waste takes centuries to break down, thus polluting our environment in ways that other types of waste do not.
In order to responsibly deal with plastic waste, it's important to understand the recycling triangles, invest in reusable products like reusable water bottles and non-plastic sandwich bags, and, if necessary, use this guide to find a recycling center that you can take your plastic waste to directly if your recycling truck service proves untrustworthy like the one in the video.
Also, by supporting brands that aim to use plastic-free packaging, you can get ahead of the issue before it becomes a problem on the sidewalk.
One of the most important things, though, is to hold corporations accountable for their sustainability efforts with recycling. The more evident it is that their customers value recycling, the better chance they'll be proactive in their efforts to ensure procedures are followed properly.
Users expressed their dismay about the video in the comment section.
"It's because no one holds them accountable. If a company can get away with doing it the easy way then they will," one user wrote.
"I have witnessed the same damn thing in Austin, TX - of all places - and the most infuriating thing is that the city charges individuals/households per container, on top of the 'services.' It's usually hidden in the itemization portion of the utility bill. It can be upwards of 30+ dollars a month," another user said.
"I live in Western PA and this is pretty standard around these parts. We have separate 'recycling' bins that are paid for, then waste management comes every week to just toss everything in the same truck with no divider. 'The appearance of recycling is cheaper than actually doing it' - Waste Management companies all over the world," a third user noted.
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