A thought-provoking article by The Smithsonian provides a glimpse into the growing complexity of recycling:

“Recycling technology has improved a lot over the last decade, which in a way has made the logistics of what you can and can’t toss in the recycling bin a lot more confusing.

“All garbage goes somewhere; it does not go away. So we must all take more responsibility to sort our discards into the proper bins,” says Robert Reed, a spokesperson for Recology. Recology runs recycling collection programs along the west coast including San Francisco’s highly successful program, which recycles about 80 percent of the city’s waste.

Doing a bit of research before you try to recycle can make all the difference.”

[read the full article]