March 18th is International Recycling Day. But, not to confuse the order of operations for creating more sustainable materials use:
#1: Developing a healthy respect and appreciation for the environment
#2: Refuse
#3: Reduce
#4: Redesign
#5: Reuse / Repurpose
#6: Recycle
Before we have an International Recycling Day, we should really be having an International Refuse Day. Celebrating the lesser solution before the best course of action is very confusing for public awareness (note, this day of celebration is also the brainchild of the recycling industry). Moreover, promoting recycling as a means of employment is a bit like defending coal jobs for economic purposes. Yes, recycling is a means of livelihood, however, plastic ultimately is a toxin. Plastic is not a material worth defending. It should not be managed ‘better;’ ultimately it should be out of our systems and we should not have to ‘waste’ social and environmental health and resources managing this disruptive material. Recycling the current plastics we have in our system should be a first step in a trajectory to end plastics, not as a means to maintain the flow of this material.