Have you ever finished your dinner and had some left over plastics, but chose not to recycle them? Did you just think, why bother?

Some people are under the impression that recycling doesn’t make a difference, or that it all ends up going to the same place, but that is a myth.  Furthermore, there are some great things being done with some of your recycled materials that you may not know about.

First, check out this video showing how a real recycling center works.  It shows the line where recycling is sorted into different categories, and trash is pulled out.  Clearly, everything there is not going to the same place.  It’s actually all being carefully sorted and placed for recycling in the correct manner.  Some fun facts, not everything that you probably think is recyclable, is actually recyclable.  For example, did you know that plastics and cardboard contaminated by leftover food cannot be recycled? Most people have no idea!

How Does a Recycling Center Work?

So what ends up being done with the plastics and other recyclables that you use? Well, sometimes they are used to make other goods and consumables.  For example, a lot of containers are made from recycled plastics.  The same holds true with a lot of other recyclable materials.

What you probably haven’t heard of is some of the other exciting recycling advances that are being made today.

Every time you hold something that is made of plastic, in a way it is kind of like you are holding oil! Oil from the Earth is put through chemical processes to make plastic products.  Unfortunately, there is only so much oil in the Earth.  The reason this should concern you is that we have to make the best of the fuels and plastics we have now, because we are using up our natural resources at an alarming rate!

Luckily, scientists have developed a new way that we can be more efficient.  They have found a way to recycle used plastic goods, such as plastic bags (which are normally very inefficient to recycle), into diesel and other fuels!  Not only are we not putting otherwise useless plastic bags in landfills, but we are getting a valuable resource from an efficient process.  The conversion ends up producing more energy than it takes to complete the process, preventing some needless waste!

Check out the article about the advances being made!

Plastic shopping bags make a fine diesel fuel

Really, the key in general is not only to recycle, but to use less in the first place.  Cut down on “one-use” plastics, and save our resources for future generations!

Some of you may be wondering what Earth Initiative’s plans are for the spring semester, after a cold and blustery winter!  We have a lot of great ideas for new events this semester, as well as bringing back a few that we know all of you enjoyed in the past.

On Wednesday, April 23^rd, for example, we will be holding the second annual Recyclable Fashion Show in the Timmerman Atrium at 4pm!  If you didn’t attend last year, organizations from around campus come to work in groups.  Each group makes an outfit out of recyclables, and one person from your group gets to model it.  The outfits are judged, and the winners get prizes in different categories such as creativity!  Remember to check this out, and bring your org or reshall!

Throughout the semester, we will be tabling in the UC, at basketball games, and at other locations around campus as well! We’ll be handing out free stuff, playing games, and of course providing useful information about how you can be more sustainable, so keep an eye out for us.

One new project for this semester will be a sustainable Instagram competition.  If you see something sustainable around campus or even back home,  take a picture or a video using Instagram! At the end of the semester, we will award the winners in various categories free prizes.  Remember to tell your friends or your organizations about this.

If your org might be interested in collaborating on an event with Earth Initiative, please send our Facebook page (Sustainability at UW-Whitewater) a message, and we’ll get right back to you!