This is clear proof of our 1994 article "Western Recycling Doomed" in Findians Briefings, which was republished on this blog last year.
India recycles 60% of all plastics products whereas the USA, the largest consumer of plastics products, recycles just 9%.
The question is "WHY?"
The answer lies in motivation of the consumer.
Take this with the question why Finland recycles 98% o all plastics bottles, ther answer is self-explanatory.
'Monetary motivation.
Even if the refund is just €0.20 per large PET bottle, the consumer knows the value for money and recycles the product.
After large festival events, unemployed and hard-up students scour all the trash cans to pick up the empties which they convert to cash at almost all retail shops.
This is why in India, the thrifty housewife keeps all the recyclable waste and waits for the trash collector to come crying down the street and converts it to money.
There are several ways western countries can motivate the consumer to recycle all the waste generated in the course of their normal life. Any sane thinking government should explore the obvious possibilities.
However, to find sensible politicians is a rarity. Till then they will take stupid steps of banning plastics bags or other ridiculous solutions which will make no dent in the amount of plastics waste being generated or recycled.
Sadly, the plastics industry is tilting at windmills with their solutions. None of the players consider that plastics waste is an enormous resource and that this resource can be converted to a monetary stream for BOTH the consumer and the country!
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