The Adnostic

Ever wonder how recycling works? Did you think, like I did, that when we send our recyclables off with the magic dump truck that people sort through our trash by hand, making it a dirty and high cost environmental labor? Apparently, this isn't the case. It's actually completely automated.

The recycling of electronics is of course completely different. It's much more labor intensive and far dirtier, hence why a lot of it is sent overseas.

I've been doing some research on this lately and I'll probably write another blog post about how companies can become more recycling friendly. Some examples of brands that are making strides are Britta, Dell, and Sony. There are a lot more smaller brands, but those are a few majors.

I think that there are a lot of green movements that can be spearheaded by companies, or at least be given some support once started, but I think recycling is at the point where consumers need to pick up some of the slack. We need to start selecting products based on how much post-consumer waste is used in the actual product or packaging. Consumers need to start generating more demand for this, especially in products where quality doesn't need to be pristine - toilet paper, paper towels, general office paper, disposable plates and utensils for example. Why not demand that things intended to be garbage be made out of garbage? The supply is there, but where is the demand?

The recycling ball seems to be rolling, but I think it's time for consumers to start providing some extra momentum.