The official recycling rate is often misunderstood and paints an overly optimistic picture. It usually refers to material that could be recycled, not the share that actually becomes new products.
There are three key metrics:
- Collection rate – Material captured via official systems (curbside bins, deposit return).
- Recovery rate – Material sent to recycling plants (losses start here).
- Recycled content rate – Share of recycled material actually used in new products (often the lowest).
Main loss factors:
- Contamination: Food residue in paper or wrong plastics in PET batches can make entire loads unusable.
- Material combinations: Composites like yogurt cups with aluminum lids are hard to separate and often end up as residual waste.
- Lack of demand: Even technically recyclable materials are burned or landfilled if no buyer exists.
Bottom line for hotels: Waste separation is only the first step. The true impact depends on the quality of local recycling infrastructure.