Everyday life. Six preconceived ideas about sorting and recycling waste

Yellow, green, blue and gray bin, compost, textile skip… Sorting and recycling no longer seem to have any secrets for the French. As proof: in 2021, only one user in 10 did not sort their household waste, according to the eco-organization Citeo in an activity report submitted last summer. And in that same year, 66 million tonnes of waste were collected for recycling purposes, with nearly 53 million which were reincorporated into production, also notes the Ecological Transition Agency (Ademe) in a study published last week.

But let’s not shout hurray too quickly. Because errors and preconceived ideas regarding recycling still have a hard time among French consumers. And on this World Recycling Day, this Monday, we sort out the truth from the falsehood.

1- I believe that plastic packaging cannot be recycled

Pastry packaging, ham trays, laundry detergent containers, toothpaste tubes, yogurt pots, beauty product bottles… all this plastic waste can indeed go through the sorting and recycling box. And even caps and collars, previously carefully separated from their plastic bottles, can also be placed in the sorting bin, hung or not. And if this type of recycling is growing, both in terms of collection and in factory practices, “it is still too weak”, asserts Ademe in its study. “Therefore requiring greater support from sorters, more eco-design of products, more recycling capacities,” she continues.

However, not all plastics are suitable for recycling. “This is for example the case of polyester, water pack films or certain meat trays; these complex materials constitute around 20% of plastic waste,” illustrates Frédéric Roux, director in charge of the eastern regions of France at Citeo. At least for the moment. “Citeo has built two, and soon three, safety centers to separate these new plastic materials, to bring them up to the standards and formats expected by the new recycling plants, which are being created and will see the light of day between 2025 and 2028” , says the director.

2- I believe that not everything goes in the yellow bin

To the delight of somewhat lazy sorters, since 1^er January 2023, all packaging (cardboard, metal, aluminum and plastic), which helps protect and ensure the preservation of a product, can be collected in one and the same bin, the yellow one. An instruction aimed at “relieving the mental load of the sorter”, praises Frédéric Roux, and which results from the energy transition law for green growth promulgated in 2015.

And even paper is concerned – although it is more interesting to place it in a dedicated bin in order to avoid mixing up and thus facilitate sorting in the factory. But the regional director warns: “The main error is the assimilation of packaging to any other object prohibited from the yellow bin. If you put a plastic toy for example, like Legos, it may not be recycled, or even disrupt the recycling process. » If such instructions have been put in place, the recycling of metals – which are copper, metal, aluminum and steel – “is not optimal”, analyzes Ademe, while the needs of French industry is growing.

3-I always clean soiled waste before sorting it

Legend says that you should clean or rinse your packaging if you want it to be sorted, but this is absolutely false. The freshly stained can of ratatouille, the frozen bag containing two peas, the pizza box and its traces of fat, the carton of milk that is still dripping… all these packaging which have been in contact with food can perfectly integrate sorting and be recycled.

However, they must be properly emptied, otherwise they risk becoming serious “sorting disruptors”, adds Frédéric Roux. And the key: significant water savings in these times of rising energy prices.

4- I nest my waste or put it in bags

You might think that it is wise to make a pile with your compotes or to nest your canned goods inside your cereal box, both to save space at home and to make the work of cleaners easier. . Bad idea: because factory machines are not capable of detecting one material nested within another. Thus, after the compaction stage, the concealed packaging will simply not be recycled. The same goes for packaging contained in a bag. Poorly identified, they can be thrown away with household waste despite their recycling potential. And after so much sorting effort, it would be a shame…

5- Recycling is useless, garbage collectors put everything in the same truck

“The idea that recycling is useless is catastrophic,” thunders Frédéric Roux. “ It helps create a circular economy, reduces packaging and thus has unprecedented repercussions on the environment and human health. » On the other hand, if you are worried about seeing the garbage collectors throw the waste in the same truck, everything is then well sorted and the said truck is very often made up of two compartments: one for classic garbage, the other for the bin sorting.

6- I cannot recycle my bio-waste, I don’t have a garden…

This defense no longer holds in 2024! Since 1^er January, and as part of the Agec law, communities have the obligation to offer their residents solutions for the management of organic waste (collection of “bio-seals” door-to-door, installation of neighborhood or individual composters, etc.). Businesses also had to take the plunge. And when we know that bio-waste constitutes a third of the contents of our trash, or a third of non-recyclable waste, according to the Ministry of Ecological Transition, recycling it would be more than welcome.