Last week for our Earth Day print edition, Jasmine Gallup wrote about recycling and the conspiracy theories that have been swirling about it recently. Reader Michael Schaul from Raleigh sent us the following email with some ideas about who could help us all do better:
Having been on the Raleigh task force that implemented the current recycling strategy, I’m disappointed that we’ve gone backwards, not forwards, in terms of adding new materials and having new processing mechanisms. I find it particularly irritating that a store like Wegman’s made such a fuss about dropping plastic bags and did nothing about the non-recycling packaging of most of its house brand products. The problem isn’t the bag; it’s what’s in the bag.
Recycling will take major work and big rethinking, but there is someone who can do it. Imagine someone who owns a grocery chain that used to recycle more than it now does, and owns a newspaper that produces massive paper waste, and owns a company that ships individual packaged items around the world. Yes, Jeff, if you want to really make a difference and be remembered for a great accomplishment, solve, really solve, recycling.
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