If you want to be kind to the planet, you may be interested in recycling.
However, there are many myths surrounding this waste management process, including some words of wisdom that were true in the past but are no longer true thanks to modern advancements in technology. Learn all about these recycling myths and the proper way to dispose of your paper, plastic, metal, and glass.
Myth #1: You Must Sort Recycling By Material
There is a myth that recycled items must be sorted into individual materials.
However, for residential bins, there is usually no reason to separate your papers from your plastics or your cans from your cardboard.
The sorting process at your local waste management center separates these materials for you, so all you need to do is make sure that you are tossing out the appropriate materials.
Of course, if your local recycling center does enforce different recycling bins for different goods, then you should follow these rules. The same is true of commercial bins for paper and plastic.
What Type of Sorting Should Be Done?
Typically, your local recycling center cares more about sorting garbage waste from recycled waste.
For example, absolutely no organic materials should be included in your recycling bin, which means no discarded food or organic compost. Any non-recyclable items should be thrown away in the regular trash.
When you include these non-recyclable materials in your recycle bin, you prevent all of your other goods from being processed.
Myth #2: Recycling Machines Sort Items
There is a misconception that machines at your local recycling center will sort your recycled items.
However, real people work at recycling centers and manually separate materials into proper categories so these items can be recycled correctly. Although there are machines that will crush or compress large amounts of the same type of recycled items, these machines are not capable of separating the materials initially.
Myth #3: All "Recyclable" Materials Can Be Recycled
Plastic is plastic, right? Not exactly.
When it comes to recycling, this isn’t always the case. For example, even though a water bottle can be recycled, many recycling centers don’t accept plastic lids from the water bottle.
It’s important to educate yourself about the recycled items that are accepted by your recycling center so you can include the correct materials.
Who Sets the Recycling Rules?
The rules for items that can be accepted by your local recycling center are set by the recycling center and your state legislation.
The rules are ultimately determined by the type of machines that are at the recycling center, the capacity of the center, and your state’s disposition to reusing certain goods.
Additionally, if your local recycling center sells recycled goods to manufacturers, this can also determine what goods materials are accepted.
Myth #4: Crumpled or Crushed Items Can't Be Recycled
Some people believe that crumpled or crushed items can’t be recycled.
However, if you’re in the habit of crushing cans or you have a broken jar, these items can still be included in your recycle bin. If these items are clean, they will be sorted to the correct machine to be further compressed, so it doesn’t matter if you throw them in the bin damaged.
What About Broken Down Cardboard?
One of the major recycled goods is cardboard boxes. However, because cardboard boxes are large, they can take up a significant amount of room in your recycle bin.
For this reason, it’s usually recommended that you do your best to break down cardboard into a flat shape, as this makes it easier for you to recycle more materials each week.
Broken-down cardboard can also make it easier for your local waste management center to process this material. Just be careful not to recycle pizza boxes. The grease from the pizza leave the cardboard tainted and unable to be recycled.
Myth #5: Recyclable Items Can Only Be Recycled Once
With so many manufacturers using recycled products for packaging, you may be wondering if you can recycle materials that have already been recycled once.
There is a misconception that you can’t re-recycle items; however, many materials can be recycled several times before the material loses structural integrity. When in doubt, go ahead and recycle acceptable materials again.
What Are the Most Common Re-Recycled Items?
The most common recycled materials include single-use plastic, such as water bottles, and cardboard.
Metal and glass are also easily reused multiple times, particularly because these items can be melted down and turned into something new altogether.
Myth #6: Plastic Bags Can Be Recycled
Some people like to sort their recycled goods into plastic bags or like to line their residential recycle bins with plastic.
However tempting as it may be to use a plastic trash bag for your recycled items, it’s best to leave the items loose so they can be easily sorted at the recycling center.
With the way plastic bags are produced these days, not all recycling centers are set up to recycle them. If you still want to recycle plastic bags, contact your local recycling center for advice. There may be organizations in your area that specifically accept plastic bags.
You can also research alternatives uses for plastic bags. Like these 23 Ways to Repurpose Plastic Bags.
Myth #7: Food Containers Must Be Scrubbed Clean
People also believe that food containers must be scrubbed clean.
However, the truth is that a simple rinse to remove visible food waste from a container is usually adequate. You don’t need to scrub every food container until it’s squeaky clean.
Instead, food containers should be free of grease and large chunks of food so that they can be correctly processed with other recycled materials.
What Containers Can't Be Recycled?
There are times when you have a container that shouldn’t be recycled.
as previously mentioned pizza boxes shouldn’t be recycled and milk cartons are also often not accepted. For a full list of items that can and cannot be recycled, contact your local waste authority.
It’s important to learn how to recycle correctly by the standards of your local recycling center. By debunking certain myths, you can be a better friend to the environment and the workers at your local recycling center.
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