Why Is It So Damn Complicated?

Guest Author - Ruby Lin (MeCycle Intern)

“I didn’t know that candy wrappers and instant noodle bags aren’t recyclable” my well-intended relative said in defense of their contaminated recycling bin. Although it might have seemed harmless to them, putting things that can't be recycled into your bin contaminates it and can ruin an entire truckload of material and can cause it to be diverted to the landfill.

Sometimes recycling is tricky, wait - scratch that. Sometimes it is damn complicated. A plastic water bottle and a plastic wrapper are both made of plastic, but one is recyclable while the other is not. When recycling plastic beverage bottles, did you know you should keep the caps on? In fact, these rules can change depending on what region you’re in. Wouldn’t it be easier to just scan the barcode on your packaging, and have an app tell you how to properly dispose of it?

Rather than relying on pamphlets and websites that aren’t there right when we recycle, MeCycle leverages mobile technology through the smartphones we carry around. And, because our app paid us to recycle, we're counting on our users to remember to check it every single time. Let’s simplify the recycling process and make sure what we put in our blue bins actually gets recycled, and stays out of our landfills and oceans. It doesn't need to be this complicated.