Why Isn’t Everything Recyclable?
Take a quick look at your household recycling bin. You might find soda cans, cardboard boxes, plastic takeout containers, maybe an empty cannabis container or two (for those who partake). Chances are, you assume most—if not all—of these materials can be recycled into something new. After all, the little chasing-arrow symbol on the bottom of a product must mean it’s recyclable, right? Unfortunately, the process of recycling isn’t always that straightforward. Many people learn too late that a significant chunk of what they put in the blue bin can’t actually be processed by their local facility.
The question “Why isn’t everything recyclable?” might seem puzzling. We have the technology to recycle certain types of plastic, metal, and paper, so shouldn’t that process extend to every product we encounter? The reality is that conventional recycling systems were never designed to handle the sheer volume and complexity of modern packaging, especially when different materials, adhesives, and potential contaminants are involved. Moreover, labeling laws around biodegradability or compostability can mislead consumers into tossing non-recyclable items into the bin, leading to contamination.
How Traditional Recycling Works
Before we dive into why things aren’t recyclable, it’s important to understand the basics of traditional recycling. Typically, a city or municipality collects recyclables curbside or via drop-off centers. These recyclables are then transported to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), where items are sorted—often with a combination of machines and human labor—into different categories like paper, cardboard, plastics (by resin type), metal, and so on.
- Collection: Items are gathered from homes, businesses, or drop-off points.
- Transportation: Collected items are taken to an MRF.
- Sorting: The materials are segregated based on type—cardboard, paper, glass, plastic #1 (PET), plastic #2 (HDPE), metals, etc.
- Baling: Once sorted, materials are compressed into large bales for easier shipping and processing.
- Reprocessing: Baled materials are sold to recycling plants that break them down. For example, plastics are shredded and pelletized, while paper might be pulped.
- Manufacturing: The recycled materials become raw materials for new products, such as recycled plastic bottles, cardboard boxes, or metal cans.
In an ideal world, the process operates smoothly. But in reality, contamination and incompatibilities are huge obstacles. When a load of recyclables is contaminated by the wrong materials—be it due to food residue, mixed materials, or certain plastics that are not locally accepted—entire batches can end up landfilled. According to a report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), contamination rates in single-stream recycling systems can be as high as 25% (EPA, 2021). That means one out of every four items placed in the bin is considered non-recyclable in practice, even if it might be recyclable under ideal circumstances.
Why Isn’t Everything Recyclable?
The phrase “not everything is recyclable” can refer to either a technical limitation—where the product literally can’t be broken down and reused—or a logistical one, where local facilities lack the resources or technology to recycle a particular material. Below are the major reasons you might find certain items are not accepted at your local recycling center.
Mixed Materials
One of the most challenging aspects of packaging design is the proliferation of multi-layer or mixed-material items. Take a look at a chip bag, for instance. It often has a plastic outer layer and a metallic lining on the inside. The same holds true for certain cannabis packages that combine plastic shells with metal lids or aluminum foil to create a sealed environment. For a recycling plant to handle such an item, it needs to separate each material type—metal from plastic, plastic from paper, and so on. This is often time-consuming and, in many cases, not cost-effective.
- Examples:
- Laminated snack bags (polyethylene + foil)
- Composite cartons (paper + plastic + foil)
- Certain vape cartridge or cannabis concentrate packaging (plastic + metal components)
If the technology or manpower to separate these layers doesn’t exist locally, the item ends up landfilled or incinerated. It’s not that the materials themselves are entirely non-recyclable; it’s that the complexity of separating them outweighs any economic or operational benefits.
Adhesives and Residues
Even if a product is made purely out of recyclable plastic, the presence of adhesives and residues can render it unrecyclable:
- Sticker Labels: Adhesives used on labels can gum up machinery.
- Food or Organic Residue: Greasy pizza boxes are a classic example—if the grease is soaked into the cardboard, it contaminates the paper stream.
- Chemical Contaminants: Certain containers may hold toxic substances, making them a hazard for recycling workers and machinery.
Plastics used for cannabis packaging sometimes have sticky labels or residual product inside, which must be removed or cleaned. If not, the entire batch can be contaminated. According to the National Waste & Recycling Association, contamination costs the U.S. recycling industry billions of dollars annually in additional disposal and equipment downtime (NWRA, 2019).
Biodegradable or Compostable Components
Biodegradable or compostable plastics (often labeled as PLA, or polylactic acid) are frequently touted as eco-friendly alternatives to traditional plastics (PET, HDPE, LDPE, etc.). However, this eco-friendliness can become a double-edged sword in the recycling stream.
Compostable materials are designed to break down under specific conditions—often in industrial composting facilities—but they aren’t meant to be mixed in with regular plastic recycling. When they are, they degrade the overall quality of the recycled plastic batch.
Misconception: Many people think, “It’s labeled ‘plant-based,’ so it must be recyclable.”
Reality: Compostable plastics require separate handling and often do more harm than good if they enter the standard recycling stream.
For many cannabis consumers, products labeled “biodegradable” or “compostable” might seem more eco-friendly at first glance. However, most commercial composting facilities reject these plastics because they break down into microplastics, contaminating the compost stream. In addition, many so-called “compostable” plastics carry a #7 marking, which designates them as “Other” and typically renders them non-recyclable under standard conditions. Ultimately, if your local facility isn’t equipped to handle these specialty materials, you risk contaminating the conventional recycling process—or simply sending these items to landfill.
Improper Sorting & Contamination
Even if an item is technically recyclable, it won’t be recycled if it’s placed in the wrong bin. A plastic #5 container tossed in a bin that only accepts plastic #1 and #2 is likely to be treated as contamination. The same goes for items that still have residual product inside. A half-filled plastic bottle of soda might leak sugar-laden liquid, leading to mold or soiling paper products in the same bin.
Education and awareness are crucial. Many consumers don’t realize that each municipality has specific rules regarding which plastics are accepted, and they often lump all plastics together, hoping for the best. This practice is commonly referred to as “aspirational recycling” or “wish-cycling,” and it can do more harm than good.
The Pitfalls of Single-Stream Recycling
Single-stream recycling—where all recyclables go into one bin—was introduced to make recycling simpler for consumers. In theory, the convenience would boost participation rates. In practice, contamination has skyrocketed. As mentioned earlier, contamination can reach up to 25% in some areas (EPA, 2021), meaning a quarter of what people put in their recycling bins is deemed non-recyclable by the time it reaches the sorting facility.
Pros: Higher participation, convenience.
Cons: More contamination, lower overall recycling rates for certain materials.
Mixed materials or items covered in residue often get missed by automated sorters. While single-stream systems do reduce the complexity for consumers, they shift the burden to sorting facilities, which are often underfunded or overwhelmed by the volume of material coming in. This system also doesn’t take into account niche products—like specific cannabis packaging—that might require a unique approach.
Specialized Recycling: A Deeper Look
Enter specialized recycling—a method designed to handle specific types of waste or items that don’t typically fit into the mainstream recycling model. Specialized recyclers often focus on niche materials, like electronics (e-waste), batteries, textiles, or cannabis packaging. Their processes are more labor-intensive and technologically advanced, but they’re also more effective at capturing valuable resources and keeping complex items out of landfills.
Key Characteristics of Specialized Recycling
- Dedicated Streams: Instead of lumping everything together, specialized programs collect specific materials separately.
- Advanced Sorting: These facilities often use more sophisticated technology or manual sorting to ensure higher-quality outputs.
- Close Partnerships: Specialized recyclers frequently collaborate with businesses and industries that produce large volumes of specific waste.
- End-Market Development: They work closely with manufacturers to ensure there’s a demand for the recycled product.
For instance, a specialized recycler dealing with hard-to-recycle plastics—like plastic film, candy wrappers, or certain cannabis containers—may have agreements with companies that can repurpose these plastics into composite lumber, new packaging, or industrial materials.
Green For Green (GFG) and Our Role
Green For Green (GFG) exemplifies how specialized recycling can tackle the shortcomings of conventional systems—especially in the cannabis sector. Cannabis packaging is often composed of multiple materials—plastic, foil, child-resistant caps, and paper labels with stubborn adhesives or inks. Adding to the complexity, the small size of many cannabis containers makes them particularly challenging to capture on standard screen decks. In typical municipal facilities, items below a certain size threshold can slip through sorting machinery and end up in the landfill by default.
How GFG Addresses Recycling Challenges
- Dedicated Collection Programs
We partner with dispensaries and cannabis consumers and offer collection points where empty containers can be dropped off. These dedicated points dramatically reduce contamination because only cannabis-related packaging is collected. - Advanced Sorting Capabilities
Many municipal recycling programs lack the machinery to deal with the small, intricate components of vape cartridges or concentrate containers. GFG employs specialized processes—sometimes including manual disassembly—to separate metal from plastic, ensuring each material is recycled appropriately. - Education and Outreach
We at GFG emphasize consumer and business education. By informing consumers about how to clean and prepare their containers for recycling, they reduce contamination. By guiding dispensaries on choosing fully recyclable packaging, they make the entire process more streamlined. - Ensuring Proper Disposal
We don’t just recycle; we also identify any elements that can’t be recycled and ensure they are disposed of in the most environmentally responsible manner possible. This includes adhering to local regulations for any cannabis residue or chemical components.
Why Specialized Recycling Makes a Bigger Impact
- Higher Capture Rate: Because GFG zeroes in on a specific waste stream, the likelihood of properly recycling the material is much higher.
- Quality Control: Materials sorted through specialized recycling end up being of higher quality and are more likely to be accepted by manufacturers for reuse.
- Industry Collaboration: Working directly with dispensaries means GFG can influence packaging design, encouraging the use of single-material solutions that are easier to recycle.
Call to Action: Rethink Your Recycling Habits
Understanding why not everything is recyclable is the first step toward improving our overall impact on the environment. Here are a few actionable steps for both consumers and businesses:
1. Read Labels Carefully
Look for specific instructions on whether an item can be recycled locally. If you see labels like “compostable” or “biodegradable,” find out if your city has the facilities to handle them properly.
2. Clean Your Containers
Rinse out plastic, glass, or metal containers to prevent residual contamination. This small step can significantly increase the odds of successful recycling.
3. Separate Materials
If a product comes with mixed components—like a plastic lid and a metal ring—try to separate them before tossing them into the recycling bin.
4. Check Local Guidelines
Different municipalities have different rules on what can and can’t be recycled. A quick check of your city’s website can prevent well-meaning mistakes.
5. Support Specialized Programs
Whenever possible, participate in specialized take-back or recycling programs—especially for harder-to-recycle items like electronics, batteries, or cannabis packaging. If you’re a cannabis consumer, look for dispensaries that partner with GFG or similar organizations.
6. Advocate
If your local dispensary or city doesn’t have a specialized recycling program for cannabis packaging, speak up! Businesses are often willing to listen to customer feedback. The more demand there is for sustainable solutions, the more likely they are to implement them.
Conclusion
Only about 5–6% of plastics in the United States are actually recycled—far below what a perfectly functioning recycling system would achieve. Recent findings show that the U.S. has the worst plastic recycling rate among developed nations, dropping from 8.7% in 2018 down to its current level of around 5% once exports to China were no longer counted (Greenpeace, 2022). Meanwhile, the U.S. stands out as one of the largest global producers of plastic, generating more plastic waste per capita than any other country (NAP, 2020). In an ideal world, everything would be recyclable: You’d toss any used item into a bin, and it would transform seamlessly into something new. But the realities of contemporary packaging—including insufficient infrastructure and widespread confusion about what is or isn’t recyclable—have created an imperfect, at times deeply flawed system.
Adhesives, multi-layer materials, compostable plastics, and contamination all contribute to making some items effectively unrecyclable through standard means. While single-stream recycling made it convenient for consumers to recycle, it also introduced higher rates of contamination. As a result, a significant amount of material that could have been recycled ends up in landfills or incinerated.
However, hope is not lost. Specialized recycling programs like those offered by us, Green For Green, are stepping in to fill the gaps. By focusing on a specific waste stream—in this case, cannabis packaging—GFG addresses the nuanced challenges that traditional systems often overlook. The result is a higher capture rate of valuable materials, less contamination, and a more sustainable approach to handling an ever-growing stream of single-use packaging.
The bottom line?
We all have a role to play.
Whether you’re a consumer rinsing out that vape cartridge container or a dispensary owner looking to adopt a zero-waste model, your choices matter. By taking the time to understand the recycling process, separating materials, and supporting specialized recycling efforts, you can help ensure that more items find their way into the recycling loop—and fewer end up as pollution or waste.
Key Takeaways
- Rinse and separate recyclable packaging before disposal.
- Look for take-back programs for hard-to-recycle items.
- Support businesses committed to sustainable packaging solutions.
References
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2021).
National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes and Recycling.
https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling - National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA). (2019).
Recycling and Contamination: Understanding the Issues.
https://wasterecycling.org/ - United States Composting Council. (2020).
Compostable Plastics 101.
https://www.compostingcouncil.org - Sustainable Packaging Coalition. (2021).
Packaging Materials Overview.
https://sustainablepackaging.org/