The United States' Plastic Problem

In the United States, we struggle with recycling properly. Even though cities have invested in recycling bins, much of the waste never gets reduced, reused, and recycled. Even though the United States’ waste is 75% recyclable, only about 34% gets recycled. In Miami-Dade county, it’s even worse; about 82% of recyclable products end up in the landfill. 

So why are recyclable materials not being recycled? Only about 2% of single use plastic can actually be reused for another lifetime; those plastics are high quality and are not the primary source of waste production. Our plastic waste is created using low grade plastics. These plastics cannot be reused due to their lack of integrity. Much of these products are plastic forks, cups, plates, and other single-use plastics tied to the food and fashion industry. While many of these products are quick, easy, and sanitary, they greatly contribute to waste production and lack of proper recycling.

How Lean Orb Can Help Our Transition Away From Plastic

Lean Orb is offering a solution to our recycling problem: we are replacing low grade plastics with compostable, quality bamboo products. These single-use, compostable products offer convenience and an environmentally friendly solution. Many criticize that such products end up in landfills regardless and mummify in without proper disposal techniques. But Lean Orb is calling for two solutions: home composting and industrial composting. Home composting is easy and produces nutrient rich soil that can be used for gardens! However, it has its drawbacks. With industrial composting, such facilities can closely monitor and facilitate the decomposing of compostable items and create nutrient-rich matter. These facilities can reduce our plastic waste and bolster sustainable practices. 

It’s important to protect our environment and do as much as we can to help sustainable practices grow. Lean Orb supports the use of compostable products to help reduce plastic waste and create a greener, safer society.