A friend in Denver called my old recycling habits 'wishcycling' and it stung

I used to be the person who put any plastic with a triangle in the bin, thinking I was helping. My friend saw me do it at my place and said, 'You know that's just wishcycling, right? It makes the whole batch worse.' She explained that a lot of that stuff, like plastic bags and clamshells, can't be processed at our local plant and just gets pulled and trashed. It actually costs them more to sort it out. I felt pretty dumb. So I stopped. Now I only recycle the three things our city actually takes: bottles, jugs, and cardboard. It feels like doing less, but she was right, it's doing more. Has anyone else had to really cut back on what they recycle to actually be helpful?

3 comments

3 Comments

patricia_carter18d ago

Yeah, checking your city's website for their exact list is a game changer.

patriciarivera18d ago

Honestly, this whole thing reminds me of how many "helpful" habits are actually just busywork. Like rinsing every container until it's spotless, which wastes more water than the recycling saves. We get so focused on the feeling of doing good that we miss the real system.

cora_mitchell18d ago

My town's website says they spend over $80,000 a year just to throw away the wrong stuff people put in the blue bins. That's tax money that could fix potholes. I used to toss in pizza boxes, but the grease means they're trash. Now I tear off the clean lid to recycle and trash the greasy bottom. It feels fussy, but that's the real system.