I was chatting with a friend and mentioned that I decline straws in restaurants to keep them out of the trash and often the ocean. But as the discussion continued, we realized how uncertain we were about what items are Trash vs Recycle.
What can you recycle?
Years ago, I read that placing non-recyclable items in the recycle bin actually does more harm than good. I just couldn’t remember why. So, it inspired this research to up-my-game around recycling. It turns out that plastic bags jam the sorting machine and most pizza boxes are not recyclable. Good to know!
Plastic Bags
Traditional plastic grocery bags are best recycled at your local grocery store. Plastic bags, when placed in our recycling bin pose a threat to littering your neighborhood and can be a problem for our recycling facilities.
Pizza Boxes
The grease from a used pizza box prevents it from being recyclable. It can be disposed of with other solid waste. If your pizza box doesn’t have any grease on it, then you can place in your recycling bin.
Recycling Services
So, in an effort to improve upon my recycle efforts, I read our trash company’s website. (Republic Services-Fairfax County) It’s a great resource where I learned three important words.
Three Important Words
- EMPTY
- CLEAN
- DRY
It’s important to empty, clean and dry all your recyclables. Also, they should be stored LOOSE in the recycle bin and not inside a plastic bag. Turns out I’ve been doing this mostly wrong for a long time.
Our trash company also has this handy tool where you can enter an item (ie; pizza box) and it tells you if it’s recyclable or not. But I also learned that every trash company is different. So check your trash company’s website for specifics.
Buy Less – Create Less
Another way to up-your-game is to create less waste in the first place. By living simply, I routinely look for ways to repurpose, reuse and recycle.
Consider your daily and weekly purchases.
Daily:
- Carry a reusable water bottle and/or coffee mug
- Pack lunches in containers versus zip-top bags. We like these.
- Wash & Reuse ziptop freezer bags
- Do not purchase bottled water – The statistics on waste are startling.
Weekly:
- Purchase based on packaging
- Use reusable shopping bags for all stores
- Decline straws in restaurants
- Take just one napkin from dispensers
Finally, I am not a recycling expert. But I’ve done my homework so that I can make every little bit count. Learn more in the articles below. And do your own research.
What steps will you take to improve your recycling efforts?
Resources:
5 Things To Never Recycle – https://www.realtor.com/videos/5-things-to-never-recycle/10873cd2-064a-44a5-b079-1a967c830dad
10 Ways to Improve Your Recycling
https://www.treehugger.com/htgg/how-to-go-green-recycling.html
The Dirty Little Secret About our Recycling Bins: They’re Full of Trash
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