Smart ways to recycle at home

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Sarah Dearman, Chief Innovation Officer at The Recycling Partnership, shares ways you can properly recycle at home and how innovation may soon change recycling for the better.

Transcript

00:00 Thank you so much for joining us, Sarah.

00:02 - Yes, thanks for having me.

00:04 I'm excited to talk about this important topic.

00:07 - Yes, Sarah, recycling is a global issue,

00:10 but it really starts in your home.

00:12 What type of recycling is working well?

00:15 - When we think about recycling,

00:16 we really think about a few things that are important.

00:19 First of all, are people able to recycle?

00:22 So do you have easy access at home?

00:25 If you don't, then call your building manager

00:28 or your elected official and tell them

00:30 that it's important to you.

00:32 And then, are you buying things that are actually recyclable?

00:36 Companies are working hard to make things recyclable,

00:39 but we still have a ways to go.

00:41 So you can always look at the package

00:43 to see if it's recyclable.

00:44 And anytime you can choose something that is recyclable

00:48 or has recycled content over something else,

00:51 then you're really helping to change.

00:52 - You've heard of the term wish cycling.

00:55 Can you break that down for us?

00:57 And can recycling become more simplified in the home?

01:01 - Yes, it's really important that you know

01:06 what you can recycle,

01:07 because if you put something in recycling

01:09 that isn't actually recyclable,

01:11 it's taking a longer trip to the landfill,

01:13 which has more environmental impact.

01:15 And that's exactly what we don't want to do.

01:17 So if you know what can be recycled where you're located,

01:22 that's the best way that you can help.

01:24 - Sarah, and your Chief Innovation Officer

01:26 at the Recycling Partnership,

01:27 what's ahead to improve recycling?

01:30 - This is part of a program we have called Recycle Check.

01:34 And soon you'll actually see QR codes

01:37 starting to go on packages where you can scan it.

01:41 And it'll actually tell you if that package is recyclable

01:44 where you're located.

01:45 So that's going to be really helpful.

01:47 I would say for the future of recycling,

01:49 a couple of things that we're really focusing on,

01:52 making sure everyone has easy access to recycle,

01:55 making sure everyone knows what can be recycled easily,

02:00 and then working with companies

02:02 so that we can make everything

02:03 that people bring into their homes recyclable.

02:06 How much easier will that be?

02:08 We'll be able to reduce the confusion

02:09 of pretty much everything you bring home

02:11 goes into recycling.

02:13 - Thanks, Sarah.

02:15 And one last question for you,

02:16 if you had to bring it down to one thing,

02:19 what's the most important thing you can do at home

02:21 to help recycle and reduce waste?

02:25 - Be a recycling champion.

02:27 So find out what can be recycled where you live,

02:31 and then tell your friends, your family, your neighbors.

02:35 Recycling has a really positive impact

02:37 by reducing the amount of material going to the landfill,

02:40 as well as reducing the natural resources

02:43 that are used to make new materials.

02:45 So help us inform everyone about how easy it is to recycle

02:50 once you know what can actually go into the bin.

02:53 - Great.

02:54 Sarah Dairman, Chief Innovation Officer

02:56 of the Recycling Partnership.

02:57 Thank you so much.

02:58 - Yes, thank you.

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