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Are you guilty of WishCycling?
It's a well-known term in the USA and the UK, but not as prevalent in Ireland ... even though the practice is!
When you put items in your green recycling bin, do you religiously follow the advice of the waste company you use ... or do you "wing it"?!
Consider this scenario which probably regularly happens in households up and down Ireland: You're happily eating your breakfast yoghurt when you accidentally dribble some on your shirt. "Urgh" you think. "I'm going to have to change my shirt, do laundry I wasn't expecting, and I'll probably be late for work too!" And in a temper, you toss the yoghurt pot into your green recycling bin (which was only emptied yesterday!) That yoghurt pot (and it's accompanying bits of yoghurt) now has a relaxing 2-week wait until it's emptied. For the rest of those two weeks you're careful to rinse any food residues from the recyclables that you put in your green bin ... but that yoghurt pot is waiting for it's moment when the binman calls - as the wheelie bin is emptied into the bin truck, all the leftover yoghurt gleefully drips all over that perfectly recyclable material that you painstakingly laboured over ... and now you have a full bin of contaminated recyclables that will probably have to go to landfill or be incinerated - exactly what you were trying to avoid!
Here's another scenario: You've received a delivery in a mailing bag or box with bubble wrap and/or packing peanuts. The company you bought from says that it follows sustainable practices so you assume that that includes recyclable packaging. So you chuck the packaging into your green recycling bin. So far, so good?! Except maybe it's not.
Since 2021, soft plastics (pretty much any plastic that can be scrunched by a human hand!) are now accepted in green recycling bins due to advancements in technology at many recycling facilities in Ireland, and access to new markets where this material can be processed. If it is recyclable, it will be sent to specialised polymer-specific recycling facilities. If it can't be recycled or is contaminated, it will be sent for energy recovery through Solid Residual Fuel (SRF) production for cement plants. And while many recycling facilities have all sorts of automated machinery and processes, they still employ a large number of human beings to sort the material by eye - the more non-recyclable material received, the more staff they need to employ ... and your bin charges will be increased to cover the additional wages! Making recycling easy is in everybody's interest!
You may not be familiar with the phrase "Wishcycling". It is when somebody with 100% unquestionably good intentions, recycles something that cannot or is unlikely to be recycled. It is not malicious. It is not intentional. It is simply a lack of understanding.
It is a well-intentioned but misguided activity that can significantly disrupt the recycling process. Non-recyclable items introduced into the recycling stream can contaminate otherwise recyclable materials. This contamination not only hinders the processing of genuine recyclables but in some cases, may lead to entire batches being deemed unrecyclable and subsequently sent to landfill. Nearly one-fifth of all recyclables are contaminated by wishcycling.
Box Depot don't just sell packaging to those who are Moving House. We also sell business packaging solutions that are chosen with care to be as eco-friendly and sustainable as possible. But we thought it might be useful to look at some common plastic packaging products to see whether they really can be recycled ... or if they end up getting Wishcycled!
Bubble Wrap is a type of plastic made from polyethylene. It's structure includes small pockets of air trapped between plastic sheets, giving it it's famous cushioning effect. While polyethylene is technically recyclable, the specific structure of bubble wrap can make recycling more complicated than standard rigid plastics. Bubble Wrap is considered a "soft plastic" but it's pliability means that it can tangle in machines used at standard recycling plants causing damage and delay. However since 2021, Ireland's updated guidelines allow for soft plastics to be processed in specialised recycling streams. Check with your own waste recycling facility if they have these specialised recycling systems before placing it in your recycling bin.
Clear Pallet Wrap is a soft plastic and made from LLDPE (linear low density polyethylene. Like bubble wrap, it's pliability means that it can tangle in machinery used at standard recycling plants causing damage and delay. Since 2021, Ireland's updated guidelines allow for soft plastics to be processed in specialised recycling streams. Check with your waste facility whether they have these specialised recycling systems before you place your pallet wrap in your recycling bin.
Black Pallet Wrap is also made from LLDPE (linear low density polyethylene and is considered a soft plastic. However many recycling facilities use machinery with lasers to sort, and it's colour means that black pallet wrap is invisible to lasers leading to possible cross-contamination. Recent advances in the manufacture of black pallet wrap means additional chemicals have been added to enable these recycling lasers to sort it correctly. Check with your waste facility whether they have these specialised recycling systems, otherwise place black pallet wrap in your general waste bin.
Sealing Tape is classified as a soft plastic but should go into your general waste bin. Small pieces of tape inevitably end up refusing to come off some surfaces like gift wrapping paper, and small amounts are okay to go into your green recycling bin with the wrapping paper. But if possible, it's better to try to remove it.
Poly Mailing Bags are categorised as a soft plastic and therefore can be placed in your recycling bin. HOWEVER coloured mailing bags may include colouring tints that render them unrecyclable. It is now a requirement that manufacturers of mailing bags must print on them whether they can be recycled. It is for this reason that Box Depot now stocks a full range of grey (uncoloured!) mailing bags that are 100% recyclable that can go in your recycling bin!
Packing Peanuts are made from Styrofoam and should be placed in your general waste bin. It's one of the reasons why you'll never find packing peanuts (we call them "Devil's Droppings"!) at Box Depot! Some packing peanuts may be biodegradable. To test, place one peanut in some water. If it is biodegradable it will instantly start to disintegrate. Therefore if they dissolve in water, they can be thrown on to your compost heap (make sure they don't blow away!) Otherwise they should go in your general waste bin.
Bio-plastic Packaging may look like regular plastics but are made from plants and other biological materials, rather than petroleum. There is a lot of confusion about these products as it is assumed the word "bio" means that it will break down in nature or when composted, but this is not always the case. Some bio-plastic products require chemicals added to them to stabilise them. This confusion means that Box Depot do not currently stock bio-plastic products. Bio-plastic products can be placed in your green recycling bin, but not in your brown/compost bin.
As well as offering eco-friendly packaging to those moving house, Box Depot also offers a growing range of sustainable packaging solutions to businesses. It is widely acknowledged that mono-material packaging (ideally a cardboard box + paper-based voidfill) is the easiest for an end user to understand how to recycle. So Box Depot stocks many paper-based voidfill systems to choose from. Voidpal Paper Voidfil or Grip PaperFill Voidfill and Grip PaperFlex Honeycomb Paper are excellent solutions, especially if you are stuck for space! An even better solution is a CushionPack Cardboard Shredder which has the added benefit that it will turn your own waste cardboard into highly protective shredded cardboard or matting that your customers will love!
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