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New Poll Reveals Public Support for Separating Recyclables from Waste

Jun 16, 2015, 11:03 AM by Mark Carpenter

(Washington, DC) – The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) and Earth911 today released the results of an online poll asking if the convenience of not separating recyclables is worth the possibility of negatively impacting the amount of recyclable materials. The results indicate that 75 percent of people would rather maintain a separate bin for recycling than negatively impact the amount of recyclable materials.

“One-bin collection jeopardizes the quality of recyclables by mixing recyclables with wastes, including liquids, food, and chemicals, thereby lowering, and in many cases all-together destroying the value of the recyclables,” said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. “The results of this Earth911/ISRI Opinion Poll are promising in that they demonstrate that the majority of people recognize the importance of collecting recyclables separate from waste.”

The poll question and results are below:

Is it worth the convenience to not separate your recyclables from your trash if when sorted after collection, it negatively impacts the amount of materials that can be recycled?

  1. No, it's not that difficult to maintain a separate bin for recycling. (75%)
  2. I'm not sure. (17%)
  3. Yes, added convenience is worth losing some recyclables to a landfill (9%)

Note: The Earth911/ISRI Opinion Poll was conducted via the Earth911 website from April 16, to May 20, 2015, and was answered by 1,700 individuals.

The poll further bolsters ISRI’s official position opposing one-bin collection. The policy, adopted in July 2015, states, “ISRI supports the collection and sortation of recyclable materials in a manner that optimizes the value and utilization of the material as specification grade commodities to be used as feedstock to manufacture new products. Since the quality of the recyclables as specification grade commodities is essential, ReMA opposes the commingling of recyclables with solid waste or mixed waste processing in one-bin system where all solid waste and recyclables are placed together with no separation prior to recycling.”

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The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI)
ISRI is the Voice of the Recycling Industry™. ReMA represents more than 1,600 companies in 21 chapters nationwide that process, broker and industrially consume scrap commodities, including metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics and textiles. With headquarters in Washington, DC, ReMA provides safety, education, advocacy, and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development.