What Is Wishcycling And Is Your Business Guilty Of It?

There has been a real focus on the importance of recycling in recent years. More businesses than ever before are filling up their recycling equipment in a bid to help the planet, but this isn’t always a positive thing. Despite what most people think, recycling everything is not the way forward, and it has actually resulted in a new issue called wishcycling. The practice of wishcycling is happening across thousands of homes and businesses across the world, and today we are lifting the lid on what this means, and how you can stop it.

What Is Wishcycling?

Wishcycling is a term used to explain the phenomenon of items being recycled which really shouldn’t be. Loading your recycling machinery with things like greasy pizza boxes, resealable food pouches or dirty jam jars might seem harmless, but in actual fact it can cause a lot of problems. The issue is that items like these are commonly considered recyclable, so people throw them in the recycling bin without giving it a second thought. There are actually a lot of items which should not go into recycling equipment, and it is critical that your business is aware of them.

Why Is Wishcycling Such A Problem?

Putting the odd thing into recycling which shouldn’t be there doesn’t seem like it should cause too many issues on first glance, but when you look into the reality, wishcycling is a huge problem. The best scenario from putting the wrong items in recycling machinery is that facility workers separate out anything that should actually go to landfill. This is a time consuming and labour-intensive way of doing things, and subject to human error. The worst scenario is that the entire batch of recyclables is tainted by the item and all of it has to go into landfill. 

Using recycling equipment and being conscious of your waste to landfill is only beneficial if your business is actually contributing to new products being created. If you are guilty of wishcycling, then the opposite could be true. Focusing on only recycling the things that can truly be repurposed might reduce the amount going into your recycling machinery and increase what is going straight to landfill, but in the long wrong the planet will be better off for it.

How To Avoid Wishcycling In Your Business?

If you are concerned that your company and employees are falling into the wishcycling trap, then it is important that you do something about it. The best way to combat this issue is to educate everyone on the items that can and cannot be put into used recycling equipment. Share information on wishcycling with your teams, and put up notices in your staff areas to let everyone know what should and shouldn’t be recycled. It is often worth identifying the items which are most commonly disposed of incorrectly in your business, so that you can address the problem head on.

For more information on recycling machinery and advice on your business recycling, speak with our specialists today.