As an avid environmentalist and enthusiastic recycler, a random thought popped into my head yesterday night. As a person who has been recycling since a teenager, I wondered where the many plastic bottles, card board boxes, and paper end up. Do these recyclable items really get recycled into something new or do they end up somewhere else? The sad reality that I found in doing my research is that many recyclable items end up in a landfill or an incinerator. Of course I’d hope that this would be untrue, but it seems recycling is just a “scheme” for environmentalists like me who think that recycling is saving the Earth. Furthermore, the main reason that recyclable items are so hard to recycle would be that contamination of recyclable materials can’t be processed into new re-usable materials. Moreover, the cost to eliminate and ensure that these contaminated recyclables won’t harm people or the actual environment is very expensive and time-consuming. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that only 34.6 percent of recycled materials is actually converted into another usable material, the rest ended up in a landfill. This statistic is very disheartening, but it’s a truth that needs to be exposed. Furthermore, in browsing the EPA’s website it seems that the agency is still heavily promoting recycling. I commend the EPA’s use of letting Americans know the benefits of recycling and encouraging young children in school that recycling can truly help the environment. However, I think the EPA should be more forthright and bold about the small percentage of items that are actually recycled in America.

There is also a big problem with recycling electronic waste, which is often outsourced to another country instead of being recycled. America is notorious for using this method and often ships millions of unwanted computers, IPhone, cell phones, and any other electronic gadget you can think of to other countries. In recent years there have been plenty of “schemes” that make techy consumers believe their old IPhone is being recycled when they trade it in for a new phone. However, many of these electronics are shipped off to landfills in Africa, China, and Asia. Again, misleading consumers to believe that these electronics are being “recycled” is wrong. It seems that everything I thought about recycling is unethical and false, which hurts my soul. I’m very concerned about this environment and the state of our planet, I always thought that when I recycled I would be making a difference. Even though my research into recyclable materials and electronic waste was shocking and sad, I did find small hope through a non-profit company that actually recycles its materials in America. What’s even better, is that this company recycles electronic waste in an awesome way. The non-profit organization in Portland, Oregon, is called Free Geek. Free Geek is a company that takes unwanted computers and laptops and refurbishes them for people in need. They even provide classes for people who want to learn how to use computers and offers an online thrift shop for environmentally conscious people who want to purchase these refurbished laptops or computers. Although, this company is a small non-for profit company that is out of Oregon, it has made a difference for the environment and has kept these electronics from ending up in a landfill. My only hope is that more organizations like Free Geek will pop up around the U.S. and help save these recyclable items from ending up in an endless landfill.