You want to keep more stuff out of the landfill.
Unfortunately, some of what gets tossed in the recycling bin isn’t recyclable at all. According to the World Economic Forum, 59% of people in the U.S. are “wish-cyclers,” people who think more items can be recycled than actually can be. When we toss non-recyclable items in the recycling bin, they can contaminate the whole load, and render everything in it as trash, instead.
The EPA reports up to one-fourth of the recycling stream is actually contaminated and can’t be recycled. For Ohio residents who want to positively contribute to the circular economy and ensure more of their recycling contributions actually get recycled, follow these tips.
1. Know your recycling provider’s guidelines
Read up on your recycling provider’s guidelines to understand what exactly is recyclable. Most recycling providers will recycle:
- Cardboard
- Paper
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- Common mail
- Aluminum beverage cans
- Metal food cans
- Hard plastic bottles and jugs, as long as they match the plastic category number the recycler accepts
Plastic and glass categories may be more complicated. Flimsy plastic, like packaging, as well as plastic you can tear and plastic bags typically aren’t recyclable. There may be plastic collection sites near you, and some grocery stores collect old plastic bags.
Glass is another category that may or may not be accepted. You may be able to recycle glass bottles, for example, but shards of window glass may not be recyclable.
Even when something’s recyclable, the size of the object may render it as trash. For example, paper that’s smaller than the size of a business card may not be accepted as recyclable.
Check your provider’s guidelines before tossing something in the recycling bin.
2. Ensure recyclables are clean
Even when an object is recyclable, if it’s covered in a sticky or wet substance, that could contaminate your recycling load.
A good rule of thumb is to ensure each recyclable is dry, clean and empty. For example:
- Rinse out food containers, like ketchup bottles and soup cans. If you can’t clean a container, like remove pizza residue from the bottom of a box, throw it in the trash.
- Dry recyclables before tossing them. Wet cardboard typically can’t be recycled, for example.
- Remove non-recyclables from recyclable packaging. For example, masking tape and polystyrene foam (Styrofoam™) typically aren’t recyclable. Remove those from a cardboard box, before flattening the box and tossing it in the trash.
To simplify the recycling process, recyclables should be as close to their pure form as possible. That means, they should be clean, intact and dry before they reach the recycling bin.
3. Toss in everything loose
Another way to sabotage your recycling is to gather it in trash bags. Remember that most plastic bags aren’t recyclable. When you follow the clean, dry and empty rule, it’s easy to toss recyclables together in a home bin, then move those to the big cart or dumpster outside.
You may wonder, can I put all my recyclables in another recyclable, like a paper bag or box? Again, avoid this, and toss everything in loose.
Recycling companies typically prefer loose recyclables because that simplifies the sorting process along the conveyor belt.
If recyclables are in one single package, even when it’s recyclable, they run the risk of being tossed in a trash pile at the sorting facility.
INCREASE KNOWLEDGE & RECYCLE MORE
Overall, folks could could recycle more. According to the Recycling Partnership, 76% of recyclables are lost to the trash, right at home.
To recycle more:
- Research what your recycling provider accepts.
- Empty, clean and dry recyclables before throwing them in the bin.
- Throw recyclables loose together in a cart. Don’t bag or box them.
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