Is recycling worth it? Let’s bust some recycling myths
Here’s a question: is recycling really helping the planet? Short answer: In some ways. Long answer: There may be more to it than you think. Let’s look into why.
Recycling became a popular concept during the 1970s in what was then the early days of the environmental movement. The first Earth Day helped push it into the public’s consciousness, and it only grew from there.
In the decades that followed, corporations and governments all welcomed recycling as a feel-good solution to environmental challenges. It was easy to build engagement with consumers and gave them agency, making them feel like they were actively doing something to help the planet.
But does it actually do any good? Well, sure, recycling materials is better than throwing them after single use. At the same time, critics argue that it’s been overhyped to the point that it distracts from deeper issues like overconsumption and unsustainable production.
What if recycling isn’t quite the hero the world’s made it out to be? Decades after its introduction, only a fraction of plastic ever gets recycled. Most of it still ends up in landfills or, as is becoming more tragically true, the ocean.
Recycling, especially when it comes to single-use plastics, addresses the symptom rather than the cause of what’s driving the world away from sustainability.
We need to take a smarter approach. When it comes to packaging, change has to start at the source. It’s about truly understanding the problems and role of plastics in it, which we will get to.
Rather than designing with disposal or even recycling in mind, it’s time to shift our focus. The future of packaging lies in materials and designs made to be reused, refilled, or returned to nature. In short, the future isn’t disposable. It's circular.
Recycling realities: myths vs. facts
Let’s dispel some of the myths that have built up over the years around recycling as a concept.
Myth: Everything recyclable gets recycled
Fact: A large percentage of recyclable materials end up in landfills.
Just because a material is recyclable doesn’t mean that it will be recycled. In truth, most packaging and other recyclables sent to the recycling bin never even make it through the process, thanks to:
Contamination (from food or residue).
Mismatched materials, like plastic-lined paper.
No available recycling centres.
As for plastics with the recycling symbol, even they aren’t guaranteed a second lease on life. Many types, while technically recyclable, aren’t economically viable enough to justify the process. So, they’re often incinerated (a fancy word for “burned”). In the end, only 9% of plastic gets recycled around the globe.
Myth: Recycling is the most sustainable solution
Fact: It’s energy-intensive and still requires virgin materials in many cases.
Make no mistake, recycling is still a worthy endeavour and a good practice for waste management, but it’s not perfect. The amount of water and energy involved can’t be overlooked. Recycled plastics also suffer from reduced quality, so virgin resources are needed to make materials usable.
This also applies to paper recycling, with new pulp being required. On top of this, recycled paper and plastic materials are rarely used in the same products they were originally made with.
For true sustainability, the need for new materials would be reduced completely, and systems with a focus on smarter design and reuse would be the standard rather than the exception.
Myth: All packaging can be easily recycled
Fact: The recyclability of packaging depends on the material, and contrary to what you may have heard — most flexible plastics and composite materials aren’t recyclable at all.
To the average consumer, all packaging might seem equal, but in reality, different materials have very different afterlives. Cardboard boxes and paper fillers are relatively straightforward to recycle. Flexible plastics like chip bags and shrink wrap, or composite materials such as multilayer coffee bags, are more complex.
The more complex materials often require specialised recycling equipment, which many facilities aren’t yet equipped with. As packaging design continues to evolve, recycling systems are still catching up. That’s why there’s growing momentum around circular packaging — solutions designed from the start to be reused, repurposed, or responsibly reintegrated into the system.
The problem with packaging
Packaging is really the cornerstone of the global waste problem. It’s a system designed for disposability, and single-use plastics are the biggest villain of them all. Waste feels normal, and for some, even enjoyable. Ecommerce has only made things worse.
Bubble mailers, plastic film, filler materials. They just keep piling up. Every click to complete an order inevitably means a new set of unrecycled materials destined for the nearest landfill or ocean.
What makes this problem all the more difficult to solve is that people love a fun unboxing experience. It’s only human to get excited about well-presented things that you’ve carefully selected. For the sustainability-focused among us, though, that joy also comes with a twinge of guilt, especially when unsustainable materials are used. This clash of emotions is the root of the problem.
Woola: giving packaging life after shelf life
So, yes. Recycling might not be the silver bullet many hoped it would be. It won’t solve the problem of packaging waste either, or at least, not on its own.
Woola takes the next step for sustainability, taking a fresh, practical approach by making discarded sheep’s wool a next-generation packaging material.
In Europe alone, 200,000 tonnes of wool go to waste each year. Imagine the scale at a global level! Instead, we turn what would otherwise be thrown away into a high-quality, high-performance alternative that the packaging industry sorely needs today.
Sustainable: Using waste wool means using repurposed material rather than creating a demand for new wool.
High-performance: Wool’s natural shock-absorbing, fire-retardant, and water-resistant properties make it an ideal candidate for shipping fragile items like cosmetics, electronics, and ceramics.
Memorable customer experience: A premium unboxing experience comes standard with every Woola package, showing how your business is taking sustainable action.
Environmental impact: Our materials and production processes generate fewer emissions compared to unsustainable packaging.
But what really sets us apart the most is our circular mindset. By using a biodegradable and reusable material, it immediately avoids all the major pitfalls of traditional recycling altogether. No dependence on complex waste infrastructure, zero uncertainty about whether our materials can be properly processed. A simple, low-impact solution from package to unboxing and after.
“We are replacing protective plastic packaging with sustainable alternatives made of wool that work just as well, but look much better."
— Anna-Liisa Palatu, CEO and Co-founder of Woola
Why Woola is the future of sustainable packaging
Some might think that sustainability means compromise. It doesn’t, we’re proof of that. The packaging market is unique because it’s one where practicality meets brand touchpoints, and we deliver on both (no pun intended).
Plus, and it’s been documented for a while now, consumer values are shifting. People prefer brands that hold similar values to the ones they do, and climate change is certainly something younger generations are taking very seriously.
That makes Woola a smart fit. Our materials are abundant, renewable, durable, and look goooood — a combination you don’t ofter come across in sustainable packaging materials. Choosing Woola packaging means it’s good for your product, your brand, and the planet.
It’s never easy deconstructing a popular view that the world has believed in for decades. Recycling is useful, but as we’ve shown, some myths are a little too real to be fiction. The amount of energy needed for and the diminishing returns in quality that come from recycled materials aren’t where innovation will come from.
Consumers are wising up with every passing year, so the time to change to a circular model and take environmental responsibility is now. So answer the call: make the shift from wasteful to wise, from disposable to circular.
See what the future of a circular model will look like. Request a free sample from us today.
