Why "Wishful Recycling" Backfires

Throwing non-recyclable items into the bin — greasy pizza boxes, plastic bags, styrofoam — is called wishcycling. It feels virtuous but actually contaminates entire batches. When contamination rates exceed roughly 25 percent, the whole load is diverted to landfill. One dirty diaper can ruin a truckload of otherwise good cardboard.

China's National Sword policy in 2018 made the problem visible overnight. The country had been importing roughly half the world's recyclable waste, but then set a contamination limit of 0.5 percent — a bar almost no Western exporter could meet.