Every 5 minutes, 2,000,000 single-use plastic beverage containers are being used and discarded in the U.S..
Approximately 75% of waste produced in the U.S. is recyclable, yet the actual recycling rate is only 34%, and the average recycling contamination rate is 25%.
Colleges in general are massive contributors to waste production mainly due to single-use plastics, particularly at dining facilities. When the waste is not properly sorted, cross-contamination of non-recyclable materials in recycling can lead to the whole batch being thrown out. The plant can only handle a maximum of 10% of contamination in recycling. Often, this percentage is exceeded, and therefore, the recycling can not be processed.
Through conducting an experiment with the student body, we discovered that plastic straws and plastic silverware are the most prolific contributors to contamination in recycling at Lafayette College. They both had nearly a 50% error rate. Additionally, they are very commonly used on campus which adds to their negative effects. Our goal is to produce a sustainable solution to correct the recycling process of these items.