WHAT IS WISHCYCLING? The consequences of recycling incorrectly + how to recycle correctly ♻

Did you know you're recycling wrong?! Well, maybe not entirely and it's not you're fault, our recycling education is so bad. So, let's dive into everything you need to know about recycling including what even is wishcycling? We will talk about how to recycle properly and why recycling incorrectly is bad. Questions? Leave them below :)

Videos mentioned/recommended:

Timestamps:
00:00 - What is wishcycling?
2:09 - The do's and don'ts of recycling
3:59 - Why is wishcycling bad?
6:04 - What do I do with all the things I used to recycle?
7:56 - Remember these 4 things!!!
10:02 - Bloopers

Sources:

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[justsomeone]

Zero waste shops are definitely a great way to go to combat this.

Shame they aren't everywhere! And not always appreciated!

I worked for one that shut down on Friday :( and 3 weeks ago another smaller one shut down...

[mk-aka-morgan]

I’ve had to explain some of these things to my parents so they don’t recycle dangerous things (like dirty cans/bottles, used napkins, things that have had chemicals spilled on them, etc)

[ReikoDBS]

I always feel guilty about the amount of water used to wash out things that are being recycled. I'd love to know your stance on this.

[shaunaburton]

The Lowe’s in my town has a recycling bin for led bulbs, rechargeable batteries and fluorescent bulbs. They take things our recycling center doesn’t. It’s good to check around.

[shaunaburton]

Also in my town a recycling worker got stung by a yellow jacket multiple times because the recycling wasn’t properly rinsed and attracted yellow jackets! Rinse your recyclables.

[stilted]

Expounding on one thing in case it helps click for others - it has to be *dry* to prevent mildew etc growing on paper recycling.

[chrstopherblighton-sande]

Helpful and important video! Where I live the local authority provides instructions to all households as to what can and can't be recycled (which I believe is also the case in Japan). Despite this I have on occasion contacted our local recycling facility to clarify some unclear things. I'm curious in the US do local authorities usually inform residents what can and can't be recycled?

[reissval]

We're lucky with our curbside recycling. We don't have to separate things. They do that at the facility. And they accept all plastic, except #6...which we take to a community recycling center for a donation.

[justachonkyspider]

Really appreciate this there's definitely a learning curve to recycling properly....i used to get serious anxiety about throwing things away but learning what's worth recycling and the things that honestly can't be saved definitely helped 👍I just try not to buy things that have no hope of being recycled. Oh and remember to remove the labels off of things before recycling because small things and thin plastics can jam the machines.

[henrybrill]

Can you do a video on the 7 different types of plastic please

[rvank]

I feel dumb asking this, but when you say "clean and dry" do you mean wash it with soap? I always just rinse everything thoroughly so that it's free of any food residue or grease but want to make sure I'm doing enough.

[jeannamcgregor]

Thank you! My husband wishcycles plastics. I'm going to show him this vlog. And if you would do a video on the more common non-recyleable plastics I'd appreciate it. Maybe with some rules like "If there is no number symbol on the piece, DON'T DO IT."

[corald]

Can I curbside recycle the metal lids on my glass jars? Not the canning type, just the ones that come with my groceries

[Marika]

This is why I started getting my food in bulk. Food related weist was the biggest waist in my life, so with bulk I can use my own metal jars or produce begs to buy only what I need and know will eat. Or if it is on sale I know I can freeze safely for atheist 6 months.
My second highest wrist was thru feminine products. So I switched over to period underwear and few overnight reusable pads. It was bit of an investment, but they are easy to wash, I always have my period products available, so I don't have to go get pads or tampons that are single use and end up somewhere in the field and never degrate.

[victoria]

Does the higher amount of metal and paper (60%) that is recycled, and the low (8%) amount of plastic that's recycled tie directly to wish cycling? In other words, is metal and paper recycled at a higher rate because they're less contaminated in general? Or are the recycling rates for the different materials linked to ease of producing those materials?

[kazirafatullah]

One tip is to buy products that are made from recycled materials if you can afford. It is a business at the end of the day. We have to treat it like one . I just don't why recycling company and sustainable companies don't get incentives whereas oil and plastic companies are getting it for years.

[fwebster]

We hand wash our dishes and wash our recyclables at the same time.

[cilstr]

medical industry uses a lot of plastic that cant be recycled