Recycling is the Best Scam We Were Ever Sold
It's for dumb people
Hey there,
First a little cleanup.
I'm launching a video channel for Substack next month!
If a news story is breaking faster than I can write or if there's a past article worth revisiting I want to cover it there. I'm also considering doing some weekly Q&As on a Livestream.
Videos will be free, but I could still use your support as every little bit helps!
Stay tuned for more updates!!
Now on to the show...
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
When that slogan was created in 1976 the creators did not mean “in no particular order.” Recycling was supposed to be the last line of defense against pollution. You’re only supposed to recycle if you can’t reduce or reuse! This isn't the case, of course.
Today the vast majority of plastics end up in landfills or in our food causing lower sperm counts in men and a slow painful cosmic-horror kind of demise for humanity. As for any electronics you recycle, that’s all sent to countries like India where 6-year-olds get to take them apart with highly toxic chemicals.
It’s all very wholesome and natural.
In other words: recycling is the best scam we were ever sold. And we all bought into it.
That isn’t even mentioning that recycling also encourages corporations to make more plastic products since they can advertise their product as being “recyclable.”
Recycling might feel good, but in reality, it’s more harmful to the planet than simply throwing plastic in the trash.
The Best Scam We Were Ever Sold
Only glass and metal are worth recycling.
Everything else is a scam that has to be subsidized by Big Plastic.
In a 2018 study, a whopping 91% of plastics AREN’T recycled. 12% of it ends up being incinerated while 79% of plastics are in landfills.
The other 9%? You guessed it, it’s litter.
In order to actually “recycle” plastic, it has to be heated at a very high temperature; but the sad part is the process of doing so emits pollution that is actually more harmful than simply creating new plastic from scratch. It's like a Russian Matryoshka doll of pollution.
In other words, it’s not worth it.
So, how were we sold this lie of recycling?
The answer is simple: because it’s profitable.
During the 1970s Big Plastic corporations were receiving intense scrutiny for their pollution. In order to deflect this criticism and continue business as usual, they embraced the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra and brainwashed an entire generation.
It culminated with the Container Corporation of America hiring one lucky college school student in 1970 to design a symbol to encourage people to recycle…
The now-ubiquitous recycling symbol was placed on t-shirts, stress balls, posters, and water bottles. It was everywhere. The message was clear: recycle or the planet will die.
And shit, it is a nice symbol. Just looking at it makes me feel like I’m doing something good for the environment. These corporations figured out that they could make consumers believe that recycling was the answer and continue to produce plastic without any guilt. Genius.
How to Solve the Plastic Crisis
Did you know that the rise in plastics during the 20th century also correlates with lower sperm count in men?
Coincidence? I think not!
Microplastics are the cause of this. They're tiny bits of plastic that end up in our food and water supply. In a 2020 study, it was found that the average man has a sperm count of 59 million/mL. In 1973, it was 113 million/mL. That's a decrease of 47%.
So what should be done?
The radical, but pragmatic, solution is that plastics should be banned outright and replaced with paper, wood, glass and metals. I know what you’re thinking: What if I dropped my glass drink and it shattered every time? (…or would glass turn into a logistical nightmare because it’s heavier to ship?)
That’s a small price to pay for not turning the planet into a giant floating trash island.
As I type this on a plastic keyboard with a plastic circuit board and a plastic case, I can’t help but feel like plastic is destroying everything. In fact, microplastics are becoming more dangerous than global warming.
A new study published in Environmental Research found that microplastics were highly present in fruits and vegetables. Apples had one of the highest microplastic counts, with an average of 195,500 plastic particles per gram, while broccoli and carrots averaged more than 100,000 particles per gram.
The fact that something as inorganic and pathetic as microplastic is slowly contaminating everything and violating every part of the Earth is like cosmic horror to me. It’s the worst, most comical way for us as a species to die off. But it’s also very effective and is working.
Spread the Word
The phrase “recycling is a scam” is such a smart-ass douchey thing to tell someone. But sometimes the douches are right. Recycling is a giant scam.
Think of all the plastic bags in landfills, oceans, and rivers.
Heck, I live by Central Park and the sight of all the plastic in the pond makes me want to vomit.
And if you want to help: The next time someone asks if you want a plastic bag, say no. Bring your own reusable bags to the store. Use a metal water bottle and avoid those plastic and paper straws. And best of all inform your congressman that recycling is a scam — if they need resources here are a few that are more credible than some Black dude on Substack:
Remember these politicians work for us. Our tax money pays their salaries.
It’s time to stop the sanctimonious virtue-signaling BS around recycling and enact real change.
Ending plastic recycling is a good start.
Great article - it does seem to me that there is more plastic now than before they started this recycle campaign. I sure hated seeing that picture of the duck with a mask around its neck. I hate these masks I see all over the sidewalks and streets in my city.
100% scam. I'm a guilty buyer of plastic water bottles, containers, etc... I thought about it a few days ago while taking out my trash. You must pay extra to recycle in my area. I almost fell for it. Again.
The first time I fell for it was in 2017, living in Reno, Nevada. They charged my apartment complex $19 additional a month to pick up recycling. Then they raised it to $30 around 18 months later.
My neighbor decided to investigate where this plastic was all bring taken. Guess what? It was going straight to the dump where the rest of the garbage was being dispised of, a landfill outside of town, not a separatefacility as advertised. Fast forward. They were exposed and had to pay the residents back for the time rented. Score one for us. But did we win? The plastic war is still raging on and unless corps do their part its a losing war. Good article, Isaiah.