Wishcycling
213.4 x 213.4 cm
Not For Sale
Wish cycling is the practice of tossing questionable items in the recycling bin, in the hopes that they can be recycled. We all contribute to this problem, knowingly or not. Of course, recycling is important, and all recyclable material should be recycled. However, this new concept of “wish cycling” points to a larger problem with communication around the recycling process. This problem often falls on the consumer to fix, rather than the corporations who make non-recyclable products. This is an issue because major corporations are directly contributing to climate change, with little to no consequences. While the recycling icon is federally mandated on all recyclable products, there is no regulation beyond that. And, for corporations like Unilever, Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola, it is cheaper to produce new plastic material than it is to actually use recycled material. Of all plastic in circulation today, only 9% of it is recycled. The other 91% ends up in landfills, or in closed circle loops, where it is recycled but then is turned into a material that cannot be recycled. The only way this is possible is because there is no accountability set in place for these corporations. Consumers need to understand their purchasing power, and stop buying their trash.