We all see the all-too familiar recycling symbol on recycling receptacles in buildings, larger blue bins on the street, and many have makeshift, unlabeled recycling cans at home.

But what happens to recyclables once they are picked up to be taken to the recycling center? We dutifully carry our items a little farther to make sure they do not end up with the normal garbage. We sort and empty and in return, we ask that the items are actually reused. Ever doubt that that happens to everything or even a majority of the items you send off for recycling?

I was recently at a large event with thousands of participants that had both large black bins and blue bins spread around the site. The blue bins were labeled with the recycling symbol and throughout the day thousands of people sorted their recyclable items from the disposable garbage items, assuming that at the end of the day they would be sent off to a recycling facility.

However, at the end of the day, only one garbage truck showed up at the event. Only one garbage truck emptied bins into its compressor hold. But yet two kinds, two colors of bins were dumped into the truck. The recyclables that a few thousand people had diligently kept separated from the garbage were just being mixed together into one truck.

Now, I would like to believe that the truck is emptied and that the load is sorted out from a conveyor belt past a line of workers separating the recyclable items from those deemed, “garbage.” But why would that be necessary? If it’s sorted at the point of disposal, why mix it together just to sort it out again? Is this the normal practice? Is this faux-cycling just present to make everyone feel green?

I had many questions but no answers about this. I have had my suspicions in the past, and having them reignited and bringing about deeper issues of mistrust and cynicism about what little greenness is offered in our society is just not healthy. Here i am, frustrated, full of questions, and looking for answers.

Expect some answers (hopefully) or at the very least, possible answers but most likely more questions as we explore faux-cycling even more.

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