Myths about recycling

Over the years, recycling has gradually become a more established habit. Indeed, today nearly 80% of glass bottles are recycled. Whilst this figure is encouraging, only 22% of French people sort their plastic, placing France second to last among European countries. While not every municipality benefits from the same recycling facilities, we also see that misconceptions about recycling are getting in the way of good practice. Here, then, is a brief and non-exhaustive overview of common myths about recycling.

The green dot means packaging is recyclable

This is without doubt the biggest myth about recycling, and it is completely false! The consumer association 60 millions de consommateurs noted, following a survey conducted in 2018, that "consumers believe the product is recyclable, or that it was made from recycled materials" when it bears this logo.

In reality, this logo means that the company manufacturing the product is one of the 50,000 French businesses that contribute financially to improving selective waste collection across the country. It does not in any way mean that the packaging is recyclable — take this conditioner bottle, for example, which is not recyclable.

The confusion with the green dot arises from its resemblance to the Möbius loop, the universal recycling symbol since 1970. If the Möbius loop appears on your packaging, it means it is recyclable! However, it is not found on all recyclable packaging. This facial cleanser bottle is recyclable, yet it does not carry the Möbius loop.

The Triman symbol is still relatively little known, but should become standard by 2021. It depicts a figure with three black arrows and means that the packaging is recoverable and must be sorted. It appears on this packaging alongside the Möbius loop, meaning it can be recycled.

You need to wash your packaging before throwing it away

This is absolutely not necessary, as all packaging is cleaned before being recycled. To save water, we actually recommend you do not bother.

Reusing plastic bottles

From a recycling perspective, this might seem like a good idea — but it really is not! Plastic is numbered from 1 to 7 according to its type. Not all types are recyclable. Furthermore, some plastics are single-use. Water bottles are, in the vast majority of cases, classified as type 1. The problem with this type of plastic — PET — is that it is a single-use plastic!

To summarise, it is in principle safe for your health when you drink its contents. However, the more you empty and refill these bottles, the more antimony trioxide leaches into the water in significant quantities. It is worth noting that antimony trioxide is a highly dangerous endocrine disruptor. A PET bottle should therefore be disposed of after its contents have been consumed.

On paper, PET is 100% recyclable and can function in a closed loop. But in practice, only 10% of recycled bottles will become bottles again. The rest are used primarily in the manufacture of textile products. Yet another reason to give up plastic bottles...

Only clothes in good condition can be recycled

We often make the mistake of throwing away clothes that are damaged. But all textiles can be recycled. Those in good condition will be given a second life with new owners. The rest will be shredded and used as building insulation or padding. Today only 20% of textiles are recycled in Europe, even though the textile industry is among the most polluting and water-intensive.

Whether your garments are simply out of fashion or full of holes, they can be reused or recycled. To do so, they should be deposited clean and dry in a well-sealed bag at a collection point. You can also drop off your shoes, tied together in pairs.

Recycling means zero waste!

Yes, but not always. When we talk about waste, we must not only consider what ends up in our bins. The production of the products we use also generates waste. Take our smartphones, for example. They weigh barely 200g, yet manufacturing a single smartphone requires nearly 70kg of raw materials.

Today, people in France keep their smartphones for an average of 12 to 18 months. Most are in perfect working order. Some end up on the second-hand market, while others are kept as a spare. It is estimated that nearly 30 million working smartphones are sitting in drawers across France, waiting for a second life. This example perfectly illustrates the principle that the best waste is the waste you never produce in the first place! What if we waited a few more months before upgrading our smartphone?

Sorting is pointless — all rubbish ends up in the same lorry

This is obviously false. Indeed, the law is fairly dissuasive when it comes to fraud. Nonetheless, a few facts may explain this misunderstanding. In Paris, yellow recycling bins may be collected alongside green waste lorries if sorting errors are found during the collection of recyclable items. In that case, the entire bin is treated as non-recyclable — which is why sorting correctly is so important. Moreover, in some municipalities, the same lorry handles both recycling and general waste collection. The bins are emptied into the same vehicle, which does not have one compartment but two, so the waste is not mixed together.

Recycling helps reduce the consumption of raw materials, energy, and water. It also helps cut CO2 emissions. Sorting in order to recycle is therefore essential!