Green Cotton

Thanks to the rise of eco-conscious businesses and celebrity plugs, the notion of “Going Green” has become part of everyday American life. Recycling, bringing your own bag, staying away from water bottles… small (but important) changes seem to be taking hold as more people take steps toward a greener, more sustainable earth. However as the New York Times reported last Sunday, this green movement (including recycling) appears to be facing a tough uphill battle in our current economic crisis. In fact, the author writes, “the economic downturn has decimated the market for recycled materials like cardboard, plastic, newspaper and metals.”

Unfortunately, the reality is that the valuable practice of recycling has become less (or not at all) cost effective for many towns and businesses. As noted by the heap of recyclables accumulating at landfills, one might quickly become disparaged and start throwing plastics and cardboard back into the trash. But rather than doing so, and simultaneously throwing our small but growing social and environmental responsibility to the wind, isn’t this a time more than ever that we need most to stand our ground?”

On Sunday, The New York Times called attention to what could be a recycling crisis, proclaiming, “Trash has crashed.” This is reminiscent of a 1996 article in New York Times Magazine, where John Tierney declared, “recycling is garbage,” and that it “may be the most wasteful activity in America.”
Naturally, environmental groups were quick to defend the benefits of recycling versus the economic cost.

The Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense Fund issued reports detailing how municipal recycling programs actually cost less than curbside garbage pick-up and disposal.
But tell this to recyclers today, who are looking at a dismal picture. The scrap market has slumped, and junk is piling up. Perfectly recyclable materials like paper, cardboard, plastic and metals are heading straight for the landfills. According the Times, “The scrap market in general is closely tied to the economic conditions because demand for some recyclables tracks closely with markets for new products.”

The U.S. economy is not solely to blame for the scraps’ decrease in value. China is the number one export market for U.S. recyclables, but as the global economy has slowed, so has China’s demand. Now our scraps are worth much less in parts of the country where shipping to China is too difficult and expensive. Unfortunately, this also sheds light on the motive behind the green movement— could recycling be more about profit than actual activism? If recycling becomes too much of a hassle, expect many businesses to cease “save the planet” preaching.

Thankfully, the big picture isn’t all that bleak. Most cities are keeping their recycling programs in place, whether by law or for economics. As the Environmental Defense and others have pointed out, recycling still wins out over the cost of landfills. While cities may balk at reaping less – and even paying – to unload their recyclables, they will still save money in the end. Boston, the Times reports, is one of the hardest-hit markets, receiving only $5 a ton for recycling paper. But that’s much more favorable than paying $80 a ton to send that paper to a landfill.

Small towns are also feeling the economic blow, and many refuse to accept less lucrative recyclable plastics and metals (my town, for instance, accepts only #1 and #2 plastic). What can you do if your town faces a similar pinch? Nothing. The less we do, and, therefore, the less we use, the more likely we are to see recycling and our economy bounce back. For now, keep recycling all you can—but it’s even more important to remember the “reduce” and “reuse” parts of the mantra.

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Article Sources:
New York Times article:

About.com on the environment.

Article By Erin Dale

DC Green Festivals came and went, and I must say that it held true to its reputation this year—of being a remarkably exciting and fun-filled weekend. With nearly 30,000 people in attendance the 2-day event was jam pac’d with organic and sustainable vendors, speakers, exhibits, food and more.

On the eco-fashion scene, I was duly impressed by the number of exhibitors at the event. Both new and old designers, I found the quality and range of products to be a significantly greater than last year—a positive indication that demand for organic clothing is one the rise (which is in line with Organic Exchange data as well).

A pleasant surprise for me over the weekend however, was how well Green Festivals managed their event recycling.

For any of you who have been to a large conference, you know how much waste is generated on an hourly basis. It can be rather disturbing. How does one get rid of all of it? Being the Green Fest, one can only imagine the pressure on the organizing committee to do an immaculate job at recycling. And guess what? They came through.

I have been to other supposedly “green” events and the recycling program was a disaster (not hard to do). So what did they do?

First, in several strategic areas of the conference hall they placed 4 clearly labeled bins with the following:
•    Compost (for food and biodegradable waste)
•    Paper products
•    Plastics & Glass
•    Landfill (items not recyclable)

Not only was each bin was labeled properly, but there were two workers standing nearby to answer any questions in each area!!  In addition, they had a water station for free water fill up (no need to buy a water bottle!). In fact I did not see any water bottles while there—I am sure there were some, but I did not see any.

Have you ever been to an event when recycling is SUPPOSEDLY in place, BUT the containers are not labeled and there is no one sanding nearby to guide what goes where—so what results is everyone throwing trash wherever they want…ending in total chaos? Well, I am sure a lot of us have, so it is really refreshing when someone finally gets it right—especially when it is for a really large crowd.

Recycling at events like these I believe is so important not only because the volume of waste generated is SO great (and DC Convention Center for example hosts large events every week), but also because it sets a precedent. By modeling behavior in this way, it encourages those of us who might not always recycle to think twice about it. The next time we go to an unlabeled bin we might even ask whoever is standing near: what goes where?

Three cheers for Green Fest (Coop America and Global Exchange) for putting on another extraordinary event.