Wish-cycling needs to end

Brittanny Bélanger

When it comes to recycling and waste management, could it be any more confusing?

In doing research for a blog post on plastic recycling for the environmental organization that I founded called Earthub, I realized that when recycling certain plastics in the Ottawa Blue Bin—such as bottles, product packaging, and pudding containers—many items did not have a recycling number. Upon reviewing the City of Ottawa’s recycling guidelines, I discovered that plastics without a recycling number cannot go in the blue bin. You can read the full blog at: www.earthub.ca/blog (Counting on Plastic).

Additionally, styrofoam #6 has long been excluded from the recycling bin. But here’s where things get trickier: residents must also differentiate between standard #6 plastics and “expanded” #6 plastics as the latter are not accepted, while regular #6 plastics are. Easy, right?

Recycling, which began in North America as a hopeful solution in the 1970s, has often fallen short of expectations. Despite the hard work of many—including “Earthhubbers” committed to reducing plastic use—we still face the daunting task of addressing the plastic waste crisis. While progress has been made, it’s clear that we need to tackle the issue together.

But “wish-cycling” needs to end for recycling to truly begin. If you’re unsure where an item belongs, take a moment to look it up using the City of Ottawa’s Waste Explorer tool (search Ottawa waste explorer online). If you learn something new, perhaps share it with your family at your next holiday meal—helping them stay informed, too. If you spot something in the wrong bin at a friend’s house, kindly let them know. To solve this issue, we must work together to ensure our recycling systems are working efficiently, rather than regressing.

Earthub is pushing the boundaries of the circular economy and is aiming to form more partnerships with reputable recycling companies to help process these materials. To learn how you can help keep items out of the landfill and to stay informed about Earthub’s initiatives, visit www.earthub.ca and subscribe to our newsletter!