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And they show you what regulatory ideas are being debated around the country: for example, transferring the cost of recycling to manufacturers or restricting the use of the triangular, “chasing arrows” recycling symbol – which apparently isn’t. means that something is actually recyclable.
I love the illustrations that accompany Rinee Shah’s story. I’m obsessed with those canary yellow high heels. Drop me a line if you see a pair at your local secondhand store.
Note that other countries recycle differently. This week I’m on a reporting trip to South Korea where half a dozen boxes were presented. Glass bottles in one, plastic bottles in the other (you need to peel the labels off first), cans in another, paper in another, disposable plastic bags. The latter is all that is destined for landfill. My colleague in Seoul, John Yoon, says elementary school kids learn how to sort everything.
Two years ago, I noticed that in Zurich, often near shopping centers, there are separate boxes for sorting glass bottles by color: transparent, brown, green. There were separate bins for oil cans, plastic bottles and electronic waste.
Then there are the armies of men, women and children in Delhi, Nairobi and beyond, one of the world’s most talented recyclers. They are some of the poorest people in the world and make a living by collecting waste and collecting things that can be sold to a recycling centre.
Waste collectors are a fixture in some of America’s wealthiest cities these days. My kid and I discussed whether we should keep our recyclables for them. They are often experts in what can be recycled.
Could this be a better way to keep things out of the landfill and help some of our neighbors make a living? I don’t know the answer yet, but the question itself reflects how corrupt the recycling system is.
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