Recycling Cooperation Between Consumers and Large Corporations

While many large companies do try to work with consumers in efforts to conserve and be eco-friendly, other companies are slow to join the party. Going green is a great idea, but it isn't just about putting the right container in the right bin, so it can get sorted correctly at the dump. Being eco-friendly is also about purchasing products made from recycled materials.

Consumers work hard to separate their trash. We have different colored bins for garbage, recycling, and yard waste. We take advantage of special days for getting rid of toxic materials. Yet, sometimes we purchase items from mega corporations that do not even know if they use recycled materials in their packaging. Other times, we buy products from companies that continue to produce and package items just as we did in the 1950's, before we were aware of the environmental impact.

In an age of energy efficiency, global warming, and earth conservation, it seems odd that large companies like Johnson & Johnson are almost defensive when asked how they package their products. "That information is proprietary," replies a customer service representative who won't tell me her name. When I press the issue, she speaks to someone in the background, and informs me that their company will not share that information.

When speaking with Elysia, Consumer Affairs Representative for Banana Boat, Playtex Tampons, and other items produced by Sun Pharmaceuticals, I was told, "We don't know if packaging is made from recycled materials." She informed me that more research would need to be done to find out.

Prestige Brand, makers of Chloraseptic, Comet, Choreboy, Clear Eyes and other commonly used merchandise offer an unusual answer when asked about their efforts to recycle. "Unless there is a code on the bottom, we advise you throw it away," says Dennon, a Product Information Specialist. It seems they aren't very concerned with the environmental impact so much trash may cause.

Some products like Fleischmann's yeast come in multiple packaging forms. While the packaging for their individual yeast envelopes is not recyclable at all, the larger quantity available in glass jars is easy to recycle.

Best Foods, a very large corporation is also reluctant to share information on their efforts to use recycled materials in manufacturing their products. "We wouldn't have that information," says Nicki, a Consumer Product Information Specialist. She did however tell me that most of their packaging can be recycled by consumers.

Consumer recycling efforts are half the battle. Consumers need to continue recycling their garbage. However, it is also imperative that we purchase thoughtfully. If our environment needs to recover from being inundated with so much waste, shouldn't we do everything in our power to eliminate some of it? Doesn't that include holding large corporations accountable for producing too much of it?

If companies like Coca Cola, Kraft, Arm & Hammer, and Colgate/Palmolive can and do take steps to use recycled materials in their packaging, shouldn't other large companies do the same? Wouldn't it be nice to know that as consumers, we don't have to do all the work in determining which products reinforce our efforts? Is it possible that consumer efforts to sort their garbage are in vain because large corporations are set in their ways, and continue to use new materials?

These are tough questions to answer since many of the companies I spoke with simply didn't have an answer. They do not keep data pertaining to packaging materials, and if they do, it is confidential, or proprietary. What's truly disconcerting however, is that some of them seem almost flippant about telling consumers to throw the packaging away unless otherwise directed on the label.

Personally, I recommend purchasing products packaged in obviously recyclable materials, regardless of the manufacturer. Less is more when it comes to packaging; if the product is relatively small, the package should be too. Consider extra packaging as well. How many things really need to be wrapped in all of that cellophane anyway?

Get to know your manufacturers. The law requires certain information to be available. Most companies have a web site and 800 phone number listed right on the package. Give them a call and find out if they are helping or hindering society's efforts to use less waste. You can also pay attention to those little recycling codes listed on so many products. If the number in the triangle is small, it is easier to recycle.

This is all well and good until you get to the check-out stand. Many people think it is eco-friendly to ask for paper bags instead of plastic. Unfortunately, that simply isn't true. The process of recycling enough paper bags for consumer use is much more extensive than one would think. Add in the fuel necessary to stock the bags, and it is in fact more environmentally savvy to ask for plastic.