I used to work for a specialty waste company. We would brag about our ability to recycle better than any of our competitors. Because we would burn most of the waste.
I’m in the industry, at least in the US, and this is not technically accurate… especially not using the language and common understanding of the layperson.
If what is burned is used to creat electricity, then in a way it is recycling. Burning trash isn’t a bad thing if it’s done properly and if what’s burned isn’t otherwise recyclable. Plastics should probably be burned at this point rather than thrown in a landfill or tossed in the ocean.
Burning waste qualifies as recycling.
I used to work for a specialty waste company. We would brag about our ability to recycle better than any of our competitors. Because we would burn most of the waste.
I’m in the industry, at least in the US, and this is not technically accurate… especially not using the language and common understanding of the layperson.
What is it then?
Disposal and/or treatment of waste. Unless its “waste-to-energy”—in which case you’d use that terminology, but you’d never call either “recycling.”
Pile of ash - made from 100% recycled materials
If what is burned is used to creat electricity, then in a way it is recycling. Burning trash isn’t a bad thing if it’s done properly and if what’s burned isn’t otherwise recyclable. Plastics should probably be burned at this point rather than thrown in a landfill or tossed in the ocean.