No matter your intentions, mis-recycling is a
very common practice, particularly around cleaning season. With spring
almost here, it's good to know the ins and outs of recycling, and what
to avoid putting in that green bin. Misplacing trash in the recycling
bin isn't just an "oops" that can be fixed with some trash claws; it can
actually damage an entire neighborhood's weeklong recycling efforts.
So, before you get to cleaning your home, here are a few more recycling
faux pas to avoid.
Plastic Bags
According to industry experts, the most problem-inducing non-recyclable that gets tossed in the green bin is plastic bags. They wrap themselves around the equipment, shutting down the whole plant and costing everyone time, energy and money. Plants often have to hire repairmen to come in with knives and cut the plastic bags out of the machinery. As recyclable as these plastic bags seem, they are not like their paper bag counterparts, and cannot be tossed with the rest of your recyclables.What to do: There is hope. Most grocery stores in the United States now offer plastic bag recycling, so if you take your used bags with you to the grocery store, then you can either reuse them or hand them over for recycling. Plastic bags can be made into dozens of new and useful products, as well. They're great for trash storage in your home, saving you money on buying trash bags from the store. To lower the use of plastic bags, you can always bring reusable grocery bags to the store with you. As long as you notify your teller before checkout, he or she can help you load your groceries into whichever bags you'd like.
Brightly Colored Paper
It's like your laundry. When you put a red sock in your white load, it taints the entire load, leaving everything a useless, ugly pink color. Bright paper is the same way, so it can stop an entire batch of paper from being recycled. This is because the main use of recycled paper is more paper, and factor paper mills can't process the richer shades. When you place that bright red or purple paper in your bin, you're ruining the paper recycling efforts of your entire neighborhood.What to do: If you really need to buy colored paper, then avoid extremely bright and rich colors, instead opting for pastels, which break down easier. Paper mills can usually handle the lighter tones, so they're more likely to recycle them. If you have richly colored paper already that you'd like to recycle, then use it for craft projects, like homemade envelopes, or use it as lining for a pet bed or storage box. Don't throw it away and let it sit in a landfill.
Bottle Caps
It seems simple, enough: You're recycling that soda bottle, so you should recycle its cap, too, right? Wrong. Bottle caps are made of polypropylene, or plastic #5, not plastic #1 like the bottles. Basically, it has to do with heat, and bottle caps have a melting point that is 160 degrees Fahrenheit higher than that of the bottle. If a cap gets mixed in with the bottles, then the entire batch can be ruined because there's unmelted plastic left in the mix.What to do: As a general rule, remove all plastic caps and lids from their containers before tossing the bottles, jugs and tubs into the recycling bin. Then, check to see if your city accepts caps for recycling. You can do that by calling the Public Works or Department of Sanitation departments in your city's official office. If you're in an area that doesn't recycle plastic caps, then seek out retailers who accept them, like Whole Foods Market. You can visit Earth911.com to find other ones that do. Major companies like Aveda are also stepping in to help with the plastic #5 bottle cap problem.
Broken Glass
While broken glass is technically recyclable, it might not be reprocessed into new glass bottles. This is because when glass breaks, the pieces are extremely small, so it can be a real challenge to separate by color. Many recycling companies also discourage the recycling of broken glass for the safety of its workers. Waste haulers and the people who sort through recycled material at the Material Recovery Facility are at a serious risk for injury with the broken glass.What to do: Glass is a very versatile material. To get the most out of it, use the broken pieces as an additive for fiberglass, tile and flooring, pavement or even sand. If you break the glass down enough to blend with sand, then it no longer poses a safety risk and it can help to stop beach pollution. The glass material is great for tile and flooring because of its stability and the added shine it provides. If you throw glass away, then be sure to dispose of the pieces carefully, padding if necessary to avoid injury to trash haulers.
Soiled Paper Plates
As we all know, oil and water don't mix. When they reach the recycling plant, paper materials are mixed with water to be filtered and re-formed, but any oil or grease that remains on them produces a sludge. This mulch contaminates its surrounding materials, and even just a little can damage other paper products at the center, ruining an entire batch of recyclables.What to do: The smartest thing to do is throw the paper plates away. If there are any unsoiled pieces of the plate left, then tear or cut those off and recycle them. Paper plates in themselves are recyclable. It's the grease that taints the product. In the future, avoid purchasing disposable kitchenware like plates and cups. They are often non-recyclable once used, and they're usually not as dependable as regular dinnerware, anyway.