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Blue Bin or Black Bin, Does It Really Matter? Kind of How tech-startup Orange Recycling aims to revolutionize the recycling industry words & photography By THOMAS HUSEN
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Orange Appeal | 2021
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e are in way over our heads with plastics and the system we currently employ to recycle is broken. A startup company founded in March 2020 is trying to change the way we recycle. Orange Recycling, O.R., is made up of eight like-minded team members with one mission, modify the system by changing recycling mindset of consumers. Some people couldn’t possibly care any less about the gross fact that micro-plastic particles have been found at the deepest explored places in the ocean and others genuinely want to make a difference. Those in the latter group are under the impression that one of the best ways to make a practical difference – not using any plastics whatsoever aside – is to recycle. The problem is, separating recyclable materials isn’t quite as simple as throwing the plastics and paper into the blue bin. Not all geographic locations are created equal with regard to what is accepted as a recyclable material. So, what happens to the glass bottles, plastic bags or the cheese-caked pizza box when the consumer tosses it into the recycling bin when it’s not actually accepted as a recyclable material? In 2018, the U.S. produced about 35.7 million tons of plastics.
