Recycling can be confusing.
But recycling is good for you, everyone around you, and the planet. But how could you do it right?
Am I able to recycle plastic bags?
Are pizza cartons recyclable? Are there proper bins available for me to do it?
Don’t worry; we’ve all been there - recycling comes with so many questions, and most of us are unsure of the right ways to recycle.
But the answer isn’t too complex.
Based on where you live, the rules of recycling can vary. Some regions will demand that you throw all your recyclable material in one bin, and others require you to separate it according to the materials. If you are new to the place, don’t worry, there is plenty of information on the proper process.
However, regionally there is a move to reduce recycling collection where most municipalities are encouraging their residents to reduce what they send. This means that the collection frequency will decrease, and the service providers will only drop by monthly.
Let’s face it - plastics are the most complicated of all. No matter what you do, recycling plastic materials is an enormous strain. While you leave them for the collectors to carry back, there are plenty of other ways in which you can make an effort to reduce what goes back.
Here are 5 ways I’ve successfully helped reduce my footprint and the best practices I follow when I send recycling back.
1 Say no to bags!
Start here, reject the bags that you receive from your retailers. Refusing plastic bags that come with your weekly essentials. Grocery bags are harmful, and they contain toxins that are incredibly harmful to the environment and also tough to dispose.
Take a look at your kitchen, and you’ll find plastic bags in multiple quantities, only to question where they came in the first place.
Instead, take the initiative and carry a reusable bag every time you shop to reduce the number of bags you’ll pile up at home. While sometimes, you might have to carry a few, taking your bag can help reduce the number you bring home.
Canvas bags or tote bags can come to your rescue to help you with your shopping and set the foundation for recycling at home and not send it through to the center.
Plastic bags are the number-one contaminant in recycling loads. Plastic bags act as “tanglers,” getting caught in machinery and shutting down the equipment.
2 Small things - bigger problems
Anything smaller than a credit card - is a no-go. This includes straws, bottle caps, coffee bods, and other little things. These objects are too small to sort and could end up causing problems at the recycling center.
In a regular household, it is impossible not to let go of these small plastics - we’ve all tried, but they continue to pop up. No matter how hard you try, the plastic straws, the bottle caps, and the takeout cutlery will continue to pile up.
So what do we do?
-
Put back the bottle caps to the bottles when you send it out to make life easier
-
Say no to the plastic cutleries when you order in (in the special instructions)
-
Reuse plastic containers that you get from eateries if possible to reduce the flow out
-
Say no to the straws whenever possible
3 - Rinse out containers
Make sure you do a quick clean of the food containers before you put them in the bin. This might seem insignificant, but this effort goes a long way in ensuring that the process gets unhindered.
Plastic food container waste is a curse, and every year, at least 11 billion worth of food containers arrive at recycling centers around the United Kingdom. The food containers take a major load at recycling plants, and cleaning them before tossing them in will go a long way.
Of course, before you recycle, take a rain check to see if you can reuse them for a second or third attempt - not every container can be recycled, but selected ones could be.
You can recycle pizza boxes - if they are not covered with cheese, and if they are, tear off that part and recycle the rest.
As a rule, ensure your recyclables are clean, empty, and dry. It’ll take seconds, and if everyone did it, it would save tons of recyclables going to the landfill.
4 - Don’t bag it together!
Recycling will only work if similar materials are together. You’ll need to see if you can separate your materials correctly, so there is no residue whenever possible. Unfortunately, items such as plastic coffee cups, laminate, and bubble-wrap packages are hard to differentiate, so they need to go in the trash.
As a rule of thumb, don’t pack these with recyclable material to help. If you can, try to reduce the carbon footprint even further by not buying non-recyclable materials that cannot be separated. Ordering online can get challenging because the packaging you receive will most likely have a mix of them. So if you want to take another step in front, shop local whenever possible.
5 - Stop Wishcycling
Don’t wishcycle. Please.
When you recycle, you optimistically put non-recyclable objects in the recycling bins. Most of us are guilty of this where we wish that these materials could be recycled - but sometimes it’s not.
When you take this leap of faith, you eventually end up halting the recycling process, and the whole load will get contaminated and end up in landfill.
So when you wishcycle, you screw up the entire system.
Time to Recycle & Re-use
Recycling is great, but it can also take a hefty hit on your monthly expenses. In many regions, the recycling cost has risen where service providers quote higher recycling costs than before. To curb this issue, more service providers are now opting to reduce the frequency, which is your cue to take action.
Recycling starts with you. Start by reducing the plastics you consume, and eventually, you’ll be left with little to send away.
The small things matter - even carrying your tote bag when you go grocery shopping can help.
Start taking action today!
<< Return to news