Something in this picture cannot be recycled. Can you guess what it is? Photo: Corbis
Thankfully, awareness of the environmental need to recycle and shop with reusable tote bags is everywhere. In fact, it's probably the do-gooder in us all that leads some of us to sort our trash incorrectly -- and toss things in the recycling bin that actually can't be recycled.
Each local recycling facility is different, so you want to be aware of
what you can and can't recycle in your area. If you sort incorrectly, your entire bag of recyclables ending up in a landfill -- the good along with the bad. For many materials, it's not a question of whether it's recyclable, but whether recycling is practical, cost-effective, or provides an environmental benefit that's greater than the environmental cost of recovery, says the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Here are some of the items that blur the line for a lots of people. You might think you can recycle these things, but according to the EPA, you actually can't.
Food-Contaminated Containers
Skip the pizza boxes and take-out containers, even though they're often made out of materials that are commonly recycled, like
cardboard and
plastic. If the container has any grease or food particles at all, it can damage the material meant to be recycled and contaminate the entire batch of recyclables.
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Cosmetics
The containers that hold lipstick,
mascara, blush, and other
cosmetics are generally not collected for recycling due to the blend of materials the containers are made out of (some recyclable, some not.) Good news:
Origins has its own
recycling program and accepts empty cosmetic tubes, bottles, and jars (regardless of brand). Simply drop off your empties at your nearest Origins store or department store counter. All returned packaging gets sent back to a central location where products will be recycled or used for energy recovery.
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Packaging Made of Foiled, Glossy, Glazed, Waxed, Glassine, and Lacquer Coating: Unfortunately, the coating on candy bar wrappers, pretzel bags, frozen food boxes, and juice boxes -- to name a few -- cannot be recycled due to the blend of materials and tendency for these wrappers to be made out of non-cellulosic materials (not
plant-based), which makes recycling difficult. This lightweight packaging makes collection difficult, because the wrappers can stick to other recyclables and be sorted incorrectly or create litter issues when picked up by the wind. The other problem with these items: there's a lack of demand for the reuse of these materials.
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Napkins, Paper Towels, Tissue, and Tissue Paper
This paper is often contaminated, and is typically too low-grade to be recycled. Toss it in the regular trash instead.
Corbis
Plastic Caps on Bottles
I bet most of us have made this mistake. While the
plastic bottles are recyclable, the caps are usually made of a different type of plastic called polypropylene, or plastic #5, and
not accepted in the recycling bin. These include flip-top and twist-top caps plus laundry detergent and peanut butter lids. But you can still recycle these caps separately.
Aveda has a
recycling initiative that accepts all kinds of rigid plastic bottle caps.
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Household Hazardous Waste
This list includes batteries, light bulbs,
paint cans, and aerosol cans. While you shouldn't put these items in your recycling bin, you often can recycle these items through special collection events. And it's especially good to take these items to recycling events, or have them collected, because it prevents harmful materials from entering the environment.
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Check out
Earth 911 for a few more don'ts when it comes to sorting your recycling bin.
Earth 911 also includes a recycling section on its site that lists local locations for the eco-friendly disposal of special items.
Here's a surprising find that you
can recycle (and you probably thought that you can't):
sticky notes and
envelopes. According to the EPA, most sticky notes can be recycled because the adhesive is water-based and dissolves. The same holds true for all those bill-paying envelopes with the plastic windows.
SEE ALSO:
Does This Recycle? What to Do If You're Not Sure (Lifehacker)
Recycle Your Plastic Bags at Whole Foods Markets (Apartment Therapy Boston)
And The Winner Is?
Make A Rustic Sawhorse Table For Under $40
Reader comments (Page 2 of 2)
If the peop[e in government is really serious about running the recycling business they should recycle themselve into pet food -- or gutter detergent.
ReplyThe City of Houston has just initiated a novel approach to revenue growth. We now have to bag our lawn clippings in special bags which break down more rapidly or face a fine up to $2,000. The bags cost about $1.00 each. They said there will be a grace period before they get serious about enforcement, but they haven't said how long that preiod will be, so a bunch of people are bound to get stung. It turns out that Living Earth, a subsidiary of Hunt Special Situations Group,(a branch of Hunt Investment Group, affilliate of Hunt Oil), will pay Houston $5.00 per ton for that green waste, treat it into mulch and compost and sell it back to Houston consumers in the same kind of heavy plastic bags in which other garden products are sold. This won't cut down on the amount of plastic going into landfills one bit, but it will make it easier for Living Earth to handle their composting operations. I've been using a much more efficient solution. I've been filling a large low spot in my back yard with my clippings and raked leaves for some time now, and it will be a cold day in Hell before I pay a premium for "magic" lawn bags because another multi million dollar company wants to make more millions from consumers from both ends of the cycle.
ReplyRecycling plastic bottles is a genuine rip-off, considering most plastic bottles
Replyrequire a 5 cent deposit but recycling machines do not accept them for redemption.
Therefore, we must throw away a nickel for each bottle, which in effect, is an extra
tax which the state keeps. Cans and glass bottles are a different story, though.
Just throw the steel cans and non-refundable glass bottles in the trash just like before.
In my city they (the city/garbage company) force you to take a recycling bin then when you put it out to the curb with the recyclables for pick up they charge you for taking it? Makes no sense they are getting the money for it and charging you to take it so i just don't recycle it all goes in my trash can.
Replyeverything recyclable goes with me at night to a few special places where i toss them around different neighborhoods...i love it..it's fun.
ReplyIf you have something to say, say it.. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth...My 4 year old grandson, knows more than these simpletons ... And the Government probably paid them because.............................(finish the sentence)
ReplyI rinse out cans and jars by leaving them under the rinse water when I wash dishes. That way I don't waste water. Recycling is not difficult
ReplyI stopped buying bottled water altogether and drink the tap water from big cup three times a day.
ReplyIt saves me the hassle of recycling and I use the cup over and over. I save money too.
If anyone really cares about the earth and wants to do something to rescue it the best thing to do is to ask for a cut in pay. That will cut back on frivolous purchases and save all the pollution created by the manufacturing that will not occur as a result. We can also pray for the recession to stay with us longer as that lets people who aren't working drive less. And the best part is that the government will have to start cutting back at some point because of lower tax revenues.
ReplyLets see if I have this correct. First recycling was free and voluntary OK I was fine with that. Then the cities and some states made it manditory and it was still free. I went with that. OK then they started to include a fee along with charging you run off fee's from your property. So with all of the money they are collecting and seem to never stop raising our fee's and taxes to cover it ,why should it be my problem to seperate all of BS when I recycle? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PAYING THESE PEOPLE TO DO ?
ReplyWhen the subject of recycling came up, the local politicians told us that: 1: The city would make money with a recycling program. 2: We would save money with fewer, less frequent garbage pickups (Less garbage=fewer garbage pickups needed) 3. The charges for garbage pickup would be lowered. 4. We would be doing a good thing by recycling. *** Now, 15 years later, our garbage charges kept increasing, we, the citizens are actually PAYING to recycle. We STILL have TWO garbage pickups a week (even though I put my garbage bin out only once a week, I am still charged for TWO pickups). So, the politicians lied to us again! What else is new? I hear a lot of the recycled stuff sits there in buildings and is NOT being recycled! So much for living in Sarasota, FL.
Reply(Watch CougarTown on TV...Sarasota is just NORT of "CougarTown") gregg in Sarasota, FL
My city don't offer any recycling bins or any thing else, any thing you put out goes to the land fill. But privet companies have set up bins where you can take any recyclable items but it is up to the people to take it to the bins. It's a little more work but well worth the effort.
ReplyUnless you are willing to have a LANDFILL in YOUR neighborhood, then you have a responsibility to do your part and recycle. All these excuses reflect an immaturity, selfishness, or ignorance. Whatever water you use for rinsing will get back into the water supply, but SPACE is NOT renewable. Once filled with plastic, the plastic will be there for years, and when it does deteriorate, it will release harmful chemicals into the soil.
ReplyHonestly, I don't see how people who have children and don't recycle can be so uncaring about what legacy they are leaving to their descendants. I don't have children, live in a rural area which does not have recycling, and I drive my recyclables to a collection point. Yet I know people with children, and with a recyling program, and they don't care one bit.
The arrogance of you people who say you don't recycle knows no bounds. My husband and I recycle EVERYTHING that can be recycled. We keep it all separated in bins in the garage; plastics, cardboard, aluminum cans, steel cans, glass, etc. When we go to the recycling center, we dump the contents of each bin into the appropriately marked SEPARATE dumpster they have there. What is the matter with you arrogant fools who believe you have the right to use up this planet's resources with such impunity? Do any of you have kids, or grandkids? Don't you care about the world they live in? "Chew us up and spit us out, ok, and your point is? We're here now, and we have a responsibility to take care of the place we live in. Even birds don't s$#& in their own nests. I can only imagine what your houses must look like. You are a bunch of selfish, ignorant fools.
Reply