Consumers are becoming more and more conscious about their buying practices and the potential environmental implications of their purchases.
They are also increasingly supporting brands that demonstrate responsible environmental policies, such as recycling programs, buy-back schemes, and easy product repair opportunities.
According to a study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, recycling measures and corporate social responsibility improve consumers' brand attitudes and loyalty.
That's why it's frustrating when a business seemingly takes steps to be sustainable or to reduce waste, but the reality is very different.
A Redditor has called out Costco for apparently misleading recycling, taking a picture of a waste bin that supposedly sorts waste into landfill, recycling, and composting sections but is in fact just a single waste bag.
The comment section was quickly populated by fellow irritated shoppers and workers, with one saying: "These should be illegal."
One employee who has a similar waste bin at their workplace noted these types of receptacles tend to have three separate inner compartments that separate the waste types. However, those are absent in this case.
Meanwhile, another commenter in the r/MildlyInfuriating community recommended taking action.
"Have you tried emailing head office about this?" they said. "Tell them if they don't sort it you'll be in touch with the press."
Indeed, Costco leaders might want to take action if they don't want to lose loyal customers, as the Journal of Cleaner Production study observed.
The United States' Environmental Protection Agency has found recycling rates have increased from less than 7% in 1960 to 32% in 2023. While this is a notable rise, there is obviously still some way to go to improve the amount of waste we can reuse. That's why bins like the one in Costco are so important — if they are used as intended.
The benefits of composting should also not be overlooked, either. According to Indiana University's Environmental Resilience Institute, if every person in the United States composted, it would be the equivalent of taking 7.8 million dirty-fuel-powered cars off the road.
Overall, Costco has made commitments, including at its warehouses, to "divert 80% of what might otherwise end up in a landfill, by reducing waste through donations, recycling, and composting."
While waste initiatives like this one at Costco should help increase the potential of composting organic material, you can also start your own compost patch at home. By allowing leftover food and gardening waste to decompose naturally, you can keep items out of landfills — where a lot of the planet-warming gas methane is produced — and soon benefit from a nutrient-rich fertilizer you can use in your garden.
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