The semantics of scrap

Last year, the Washington-based Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) announced it was working with language strategy firm Maslansky + Partners to “evolve our common language and bust misperceptions” about the recycling industry. That work resulted in a playbook called “A Common Language for the Recycled Materials Industry.”

ISRI says the industry’s common goals require a common language that talks less about scrap, the processes and machines used to process it and the size and impact of the industry in favor of the benefits seen in everyday lives, the resources that come out of recycling facilities and recycling’s role in the supply chain.

As part of this common language, ISRI advocates for using the term “recycled materials,” or what the industry produces, rather than “scrap,” which focuses on the inputs, when talking with those outside the industry.

I took a class called “Precision Language” when I was at Ohio University, so I can get hung up on semantics and finding the best words to convey my meaning. To me, “scrap” is valuable material left over from industrial production or end-of-life products intentionally diverted from disposal. As with any raw material used in production, these materials need to be processed and packaged to industry-agreed-upon specifications before being consumed by facilities that transform them into new steel, aluminum, copper, paper and plastics used to make the products we use every day. I don’t think it’s a word that should be avoided.

”It’s time to get out of stealth mode and let your communities know the good you do, even if your language isn’t perfectly precise.”

When it comes to “recycled materials,” I think of the steel, aluminum, copper, paper and plastics made from these scrap inputs rather than the scrap inputs themselves because, while that material has been recovered with the intention of being recycled, it’s not recycled until it’s used to create new products.

For these reasons and a healthy dose of stubbornness, I’ve been slow to adopt ISRI’s preferred terminology. However, because ISRI says the playbook is “a guide for anyone talking to external audiences, including policymakers, advocacy organizations, business partners or the general public,” I’m hoping I’ll be given some slack as Recycling Today’s mission is to serve the industry.

ISRI says the goal of its playbook is to ensure the industry is speaking with a common language because it’s part of a larger process to update the industry’s image and strengthen its reputation. What can aid that further is educating the community about what you as recyclers do rather than attempting to fly under the radar, which has been the case for too long. It’s time to get out of stealth mode and let your communities know the good you do, even if your language isn’t perfectly precise.