Common Recycling Misconceptions

Common Recycling Misconceptions

Work: examines ‘closed-loop’ and ‘open-loop’ recycling. These notions underlie various popular notions, such as downcycling and upcycling. 

Lesson: recycling policy should be designed to displace primary materials where the environmental impact reduction potential is the greatest. Downcycling and upcycling are not reliable guides for this.

Credit: R. Geyer, B. Kuczenski, T. Zink & A. Henderson, 'Common Misconceptions about Recycling' (2016) Journal of Industrial Ecology.