This isn't the same as where I live and work now. We have extensive recycling programs.
It's hard to do anything good for the community in places that are so individualistic. If it helps someone other than them, even if it ALSO helps them, it's something to be avoided. "A rising tide lifts all boats" doesn't make sense to them because the only important thing is that their boat is lifted higher. They legitimately just do not care about others
The point is that people are putting things which are not recyclable into their recycle bins. You can't recycle greasy paper. You can't recycle grocery bags. If it isn't clean and well sorted, it costs more to process and ultimately becomes a "feel good" way to send things to the same dump.
People need to be much more careful about what and how they recycle so as to keep costs down and have fewer things which could be recycled thrown in the dump.
A load of paper can be contaminated with food scraps so that is becomes impossible to recycle.
TL;DR don't put something into a recycling bin unless it is clean and you are sure that it is recyclable (read the guidance you get from your local authority)
> People need to be much more careful about what and how they recycle
I'd say maybe pizza boxes should stop saying they're recyclable and start saying "DO NOT RECYCLE AFTER CONTACT WITH FOOD"...
But at least Pizza boxes are biodegradable. Unlike plastic waste, they don't end up dispersed in our environment and washing up on beaches years later.
I tend to err on the side of recycling because I feel like putting a recyclable in a landfill hurts the environment more in the long run, but it would be nice to feel more confident about which bin to put an item in.
Or at least try in a less slick way: https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/portal/gwinnett/Services/Soli...
What a lot of people do understand is why not. For instance, I read an article where my local recycler said that their biggest problem is loose sheets of thin plastic, which jams rollers in their equipment.
http://homeandawaywithlisa.com/blog/2013/1/31/taking-out-the...
https://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2018/china-recycling/stor...
What we really need to do is stop and think about the consequence and byproduct of our consumption. We can start with packaging, especially single use packaging. It's difficult to go the supermarket and buy produce that doesn't come pre-wrapped. Not to mention the issue of our online shopping purchases coming in multiple packages.
Although, there does appear to be change coming. Just recently, our biggest supermarkets just announced that they will cease providing single use plastic bags:
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/woolworths-plastic-bag-ban-start...