Cups are Trash

A large issue for recycling in the U.S. is contamination.

Not everywhere recycles the same, and there can be a lot of rules. More and more, we’ve been hearing “when in doubt, throw it out” as a cry from recycling facilities who are dealing with Hopeful Recyclers: people who recycle things in hopes that they are recyclable, but who unintentionally contribute to a big problem — contamination.

Contamination decreases the efficiency of these facilities, costing them time, money, and labor, and can even doom entire batches of recycling to the landfill because they don’t have the resources to sort it all.

To reduce recycling contamination in Madison County, Colgate Sustainability interns launched a campaign with a simple message: Cups are Trash. I aided in creating graphics to be shared on social media and tech stickers to spread the word. “Cups” includes both insulated paper cups — often used for hot beverages — and all plastic cups — often used for cold beverages, which collectively are one of the most high-ranking culprits of contamination in Colgate’s campus recycling streams.

Madison County rolled out new recycling standards in April 2019. If you have any questions about what is and is not recyclable within Madison County, check out their new searchable recycling tool. It’s VERY useful.