People and municipalities across the world are recognizing the importance of recycling in the effort of curtailing the negative effects of pollution.
However, recycling technology and the administrative scope of governments make some products very hard to recycle. For a citizen, it is up to them to determine which products can be recycled by their municipal government or waste management company.
What can’t be recycled is then the citizen’s responsibility to reuse in some practical way or to go to a third party for safe recycling. Here are some tips and options most people can follow.
Paper
Paper is typically the most common product that can be recycled by a municipality or waste management company.
Whether a person has a bin for papers or if the recycling barrel can store paper with other products, one can dump everything from white office paper to the paper that makes up catalogs. If the paper is within a soft or hard covering, it is advisable to remove that cover so only the paper is recycled.
Cardboard
Like paper, most cardboard is recyclable for municipal or waste management services. It is advisable to break down cardboard to its smallest parts. That way, the cardboard is easier to recycle in the machines.
Glass
Glass that typically contains food, as long as it is washed out, can be recycled.
Did you know that glass can be recycled over and over again? In fact, it can take up to 1 million years for glass to break down in nature. And recycling just one ton of glass can save enough energy to power a home for four months!
So next time you’re about to toss that empty soda bottle in the trash, think again. Remember, recycling is good for the environment and it’s easy to do. Just look for a local recycling center or check with your municipality to see if they offer glass recycling services.
Then simply rinse out your bottles and jars and put them in the recycle bin. It’s as easy as that! So do your part to help reduce waste and protect our planet. recycle those glass bottles and jars today.
Plastics
Plastics that contain food or liquids, as long as they are clean, can be recycled.
Recycling plastic is an important way to ensure that we are doing our part to protect our planet. Not only can plastic take hundreds of years to break down in landfills and oceans, but it also produces toxic chemicals when thrown away.
By recycling plastic, we can lessen the amount of pollution that is caused by plastics and help to reduce the amount of pollution already present in the environment.
Furthermore, recycling plastic creates jobs and reduces raw material requirements, making it a win-win situation all around. So if you’re looking for a way to make your mark on the world, consider recycling that old bottle or Tupperware container instead of just throwing it in the trash – you’ll be glad you did!
Metals
Metals are a material that most people are not sure how to recycle. But there are a lot of different options besides getting thrown away.
Whenever you recycle metals, you are doing your part to save the environment. Recycling metals helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve natural resources. It also takes less energy to recycle metals than it does to mine and process new metals.
In addition, recycling metals helps create jobs in the recycling industry. And finally, recycling reduces the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. So next time you have some old metal to get rid of, make sure to recycle it!
What Usually Is Not Recyclable
Any product that will have a waste product or fluid on it, such as a paper towel that wipes up a food stain or a metal paint can, is not recyclable.
Anything with a chemical will make it difficult to recycle in most waste management recycling technology. This goes for products that contain chemicals or glasses, such as batteries or light-bulbs.
How to Reuse
Reusing products that one does not feel comfortable recycling can usually be reused for storage products.
For example, old cardboard boxes and plastic containers can be reused for storing small items, like tools, to large items, like old clothes and antiques. Paper and plastic bags can be reused again and again, as long as they are not ripped, for one’s groceries and shopping.
This can help businesses cut down on purchasing bags and helps one reuse the same product without throwing it away.
Finally, all food waste products, which cannot be recycled, can be personally accumulated to make compost. This, combined with mowed grass or raked leaves, can help with a person’s composting.
Donation
Certain products can be donated to third parties who will either reuse them or recycle them carefully. For example, technology like computers, microwaves, or car batteries can be brought to a third-party vendor who will specially recycle these products or fix them up to be reused again for other people.
Other items can be donated to shelters, survival centers, religious institutions, or libraries, such as old clothes and old books.
Final Thoughts
Some waste, no matter what, will end up in the garbage. However, one can radically reduce their carbon footprint and how much they take out to the garbage if the recycle and reuse a majority of the products they consume and purchase.
Plastic caps are usually a problem in recycling since they have no symbol for what kind of plastic they are and usually are a plastic that isn’t in demand to be recycled. I wish more companies would go back to glass and metal lids because those can both be recycled. Also…what about regular small batteries. Their formula changed and now people don’t talk about recycling them…can they be recycled?
What about old sneakers? Some places try to recycle them… Broken appliances like fridges, some people don’t think to recycle (scrap) those, they just put them at the curb or bring them to the dump.