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STOP!! Don’t Put These In Your Recycle Bin!
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12/14/2009
Sometimes, when we put items in our recycling bins, we don’t even second guess ourselves because it’s obvious. Paper, plastic, cardboard boxes, and aluminum cans among many others are common items that we recycle everyday. However, if we’re not careful, we may be doing more harm to the environment by recycling items that are not recyclables. I’ve compiled a list of everyday household items commonly mistaken as recyclables.
Shredded Paper and Paper Towels: If you thought whole paper and shredded paper were alike, you’d be wrong. Shredded paper are less valuable because longer fiber lengths can be recycled to be made into stronger higher grade paper as opposed to shorter fiber lengths. For the same reasons, paper towels and napkins have very little recycling value due to short fiber lengths. Also, paper mills that buy recycled paper sort according to quality. When the paper is shredded, it’s becomes impossible to determine quality and is tossed into the lowest quality paper pile. Recycling facilities also use a filtering process to weed out all the non-fiber contaminants and small bits of shredded paper often becomes filtered out. For these reasons, many facilities do not accept shredded paper. If you must recycle shredded paper, bag them separately in a clear plastic bag so the recycling personnel can see what’s inside the bag. Many recycling centers train their employees not to open any bags unless it can be clearly seen what’s inside them. Otherwise, they are tossed into the landfill.- Plastic Bags: Plastic bags can be recycled but recycling trucks won’t collect them. Plastic bags are the top nuisance at recycling facilities. They get caught in the machinery and they eat up valuable staff time, since workers have to remove them one by one. Instead, most of the plastic bags that are at the recycling facilities end up at the landfill. However, most grocery stores these days offer plastic bag recycling. Just bring in your extra plastic bags with you next time you go grocery shopping and drop these bags in. When these bags are handled properly, they can be easily recycled. It takes about 90% less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than to recycle a pound of paper.
Plastic Bottle Caps: Plastic caps usually are not recyclable due to a different melting point than the bottles they come with. Most plastic bottles are made of polyethylene which are easily recycled. However, the caps are made of different material that may not be deemed recyclable. What you can do is remove the caps from the bottle and then toss the caps in with your normal garbage. Another available option is to collect them separately and recycle them at your local Aveda stores. They will recycle these caps and reuse them for new Aveda products. They only accept polyproplyene plastic for recycling (plastic #5). You will usually see a number on the the side of the cap or inside the cap. If you don’t see #5, toss them away.- Frozen Food Containers: Although common sense tells us that a simple food cardboard box can be placed in our recycle bins along with other recyclables, frozen food boxes should not be placed in the bin. Actually, they cannot be recycled due to a thin layer of plastic liner sprayed onto the box/container to prevent freezer burn. The extra coating prevents the paper to break down properly for recycling. Another carton that cannot be recycled are soy milk cartons. They also contain an extra layer of plastic coating that prevents the carton to break down prooperly. Next time, don’t think twice and just throw the frozen food box and soy milk cartons away along with your everyday garbage.
- Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs: These compact fluorescent bulbs contain mercury so placing them in your recycling bins can be very harmful to the environment. Instead, place all unbroken bulbs separately and drop them off at your local recycling center. They will properly handle the bulbs not to release any mercury toxin into the atmosphere.
When in doubt, it’s best to check with your local recycling center and ask them if the item in question is recyclable. Usually, even if it’s not recyclable, you may still be able to drop it off somewhere where it will be properly handled that will be environmentally non-hazardous.
