An introduction
The city I live in is set to start a single-stream recycling pick-up for multi-family housing units around town. On February 1, apartment and duplex residents will be able to drop their recycling off downstairs instead of having to drive it across town.
We got our bins a few days early, so I was running back and forth dropping off loads of recyclables that I had hoarded in my kitchen and car. Then, a funny thing happened.
People coming and going from their apartments stopped to ask me about the bins stopped to ask me questions. Some of the people were simply unaware of the city’s new program and were wondering why bins had suddenly appeared. Many of the people, however, were asking about how to recycle.
“What do they mean by ‘single stream’ recycling?”
“I have a ton of pizza boxes I need to bring.”
“Can I put this Starbucks cup in?”
I realized this may be the first opportunity some people had to recycle their household waste. As more communities begin to add recycling services, more people are left with questions on what can and cannot be tossed in recycling bins.
Unfortunately, different facilities process different materials. Some places don’t have the means to recycle e-waste or certain types of plastic. One facility may have a sorting system to allow for single-stream recycling, while others require you to sort your stuff into separate bins. To know how to recycle properly, residents should check in to the facilities they use.
Avoiding Contamination
Contamination occurs in the recycling process when waste that cannot be processed for recycling gets mixed up in the recyclables. It slows down the recycling process and makes recycling more costly. Sometimes, contamination can ruin other recyclables that could otherwise be processed. Because different facilities accept different materials, contaminants vary from place to place. One common contaminant is food. Food-soiled waste is not acceptable for processing in most facilities.
Some common sources of contamination include
- Pizza boxes (too greasy)
- Fast food beverage cups
- Dirty food or drink containers (rinse ‘em!)
- Broken glass
- Weird plastics
To see what’s accepted locally, go to Earth911.com and type in your zip code. You can see what kinds of materials can be recycled nearby.
Sorting properly
If you are fortunate enough to be provided with single-stream recycling services, you don’t have to worry about sorting your recycling. Just remove contaminants and drop off. Everything will be sorted out at the facility.
Everybody else has an extra step, but it’s really not a big deal. Check with your local recycling provider to see how they prefer your recyclables to be sorted.
Some places simply require you to separate different material into bins for paper, cardboard, glass and metal. Sometimes the categories are divided further, separating mixed paper from newspaper or grouping glass by color. Plastics may be sorted by number, and some facilities may only accept plastic bottles. Metals can be separated by type.
Happy recycling!
Recycling give me the warm fuzzies because it’s the right thing to do for our planet. If you have a facility nearby that pays for materials, recycling might give you a supplemental income. Either way, recycling isn’t too difficult to figure out, but you have to get started first.
