Recycling - Simplified!
To gain a better understanding of household recycling, it’s helpful to understand where and how things get recycled. The facilities that sort the items placed in recycling bins are comprised of a long maze of conveyor belts where a combination of people and machines sort through the items that have been collected. The items that are deemed recyclable get compressed into bundles and sent to a different facility that can either carry on processing or convert the recycling into new products.
What’s important to note is that there are some intricacies and challenges to the process that can easily be circumvented by using the tips and tricks below. Plastic bags, metal coat hangers, and wires (such as those attached to electronics, or strings of holiday lights) for example, are notorious for getting caught up in the mechanisms that operate the conveyor belts and sorting machines and therefore should not be included in your recycling bin.
Recycling may seem like an easy thing to do, but there are a few small steps that need to be taken for the process to be successful. Read on for simple tips and tricks to ensure you are recycling the right way!
- Place recycling in paper bags, anything in plastic bags will automatically be discarded at the recycling facility.
- Make sure containers are empty and dry, they don’t need to be impeccably clean, just make sure most food/liquid residue has been removed.
- Keep caps on bottles and the lids of metal cans inside the cans, this prevents those small pieces from falling through the sorting equipment.
- Boxes should be broken down, whether it’s a cereal box or a larger delivery box. It is okay to leave labels and tape.
- The size of the items sent to recycling is often misunderstood. The sorting equipment can’t detect things smaller than a fist, so it is best not to crush things like cans or plastic bottles, and place smaller pieces in the garbage.
One important thing to make note of is that not all items belong in the recycling bin, here are some examples:
- Plastic shopping bags should also be kept separate from the recycling bin, however there are often collection bins at grocery stores where you can drop these off for recycling or reuse.
- Batteries and electronics should not be placed in the recycling bin.
- Food and liquids should be rinsed out of any container being placed in the recycling bin. Pizza boxes should not be recycled due to the grease that seeps into the cardboard.
- Certain paper products such as napkins, paper plates, and paper towels need to be disposed of in the garbage, or compost if appropriate
- Styrofoam packaging cannot be recycled in the city recycling bin.
By following these simple steps and tips you can ensure recycling success is maximized!
