Recycling availability varies greatly depending on where you live and what you have. Take this example of two syrup bottles that we examined using Earth911′s Recycling Directory, which recently surpassed 1.5 million recycling resources. The bottles are almost identical, except for what kind of plastic they are made from. How can we do a better job of telling people what to do with, and where to take, their “trash”?
Recycling is one of the most accessible green actions out there – almost everyone in the U.S. can participate in it on some level. Yet, it’s also one of the most confusing. Recycling programs are different from corner to corner (as you can see in the example above), and messaging about how to recycle the products you use every day is muddled and vague. If you’ve ever read “Please Recycle” on a product and not known what to do next, you know what we’re talking about.
We think you’re smart cookies. We think if recycling was easier to understand and access locally, more people would do it more often. So, we set up a challenge to test it out, and now we want your feedback.
How to Take the Challenge:
- Flip through the next few slides and see the mock labels that were created for 5 faux products (more on this in an upcoming story!).
- Click on each image to search for the materials in that product.
- On the last slide, cast your vote for the best job. Which one best explained the complexities of that product and made you feel empowered to try to recycle it?
Reuse It Safely: Food Packaging
Burt's Bees Partners With Program to Recycle Lip Balm Packaging