5 Reasons Why People Are Not Recycling, 5 Reasons Why They Should Start!

December 18, 2018

There are a plethora of reasons why people don’t recycle. And while most cities encourage their residents to recycle, understanding some of the top reasons why people don’t, could potentially help to create effective ways to encourage people to do so.

5 Reason Why People Are Not Recycling

1. What’s In It For Me?
Most people lack a personal reason to recycle. Unfortunately, recycling does not come with any financial gain. Without a personal incentive, most people feel like recycling is a waste of their time

2. Why do I have to go out of my way?There are some cities that do not offer a recycling service (Lucky for you, Wilmington, Delaware is not one of them.) In result of this, people have to do research to find recycling centers in the area they live in so they lack the motivation to do so.

3. Who actually has time to recycle?The necessary tasks such as washing out containers or cans, bagging certain items separately and dropping them off at a recycling center seem like a lot of work. This causes people to do not want to recycle on a regular basis.

4. I can’t afford to recycle! -The monthly expense for a recycling service can be seen as an unnecessary burden to some people.5.  No-one taught me how to recycle – This could partially be seen as an excuse with the world wide web at our fingertips. But it is also the most common and legitimate reason why people do not recycle. Most people are not only uninformed but misinformed about the increasing waste problem in the world and how it impacts the earth. Some people assume that there are a plethora of resources that come from the earth and therefore they do not need to recycle, and that is far from the truth.

Here are 5 Reasons Why They Should Start Recycling

1. Help to protect the environment!

Certain kinds of metal, electronic waste, styrofoam, and other material contaminates landfills and groundwater. This can be hazardous to everyone around you.

2. By dedicating time to recycle, you can impact the world!

Did you know that it takes approximately 5 months for the paper to break down in a landfill, 5 years for a milk carton, 10-12 years for plastic bags and about a million years for a glass bottle?

3. 75% of trash is reusable and recyclable!

When you recycle, materials are converted into new products and reduces the need to consume natural products to help protect natural habitats for the future

4. Save some energy!

Recycled materials in the creation process use less energy than the energy needed to produce new products from raw materials.

5. Make a difference!

According to conserveenegeryfuture.com, every American produces about 1600 pounds of waste even year. And up to 1100 pounds of waste can be recycled every year per person. Ultimately a family of four has the potential to minimize waste more than two tons every year! You and your family can impact the world!

Would you like to learn how to start recycling? Be sure to watch “In The know” Episode 2-How To Recycle In The City Of Wilmington. You can also view the recycling and trash collection schedule in the link below.

Wilmington Releases the 2018 Recycling and Trash Collection Schedule Click HERE to view https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2722/225

 

By India S. Williams