How to Recycle
Recycling is one of the easiest and most productive ways that you can help make the planet a better place. While it may feel overwhelming at first, recycling is easy, and it’s not hard to make it a part of your normal routine. Keep in mind, if you’re not sure if something is recyclable or not, you can always contact your local government to ask if you’re allowed to toss something in your recycling bin. Alternatively, you can always reach out to a local recycling facility directly to see if you can drop something off on your own.
[Edit]Steps
[Edit]Local laws
- Go online to find the recycling guidelines in your city and state. Every region has different rules when it comes to what they will and won’t take when it comes to recycling. Many cities and states also have unique rules when it comes to recycling specific items, like batteries or electronics. It’s even illegal to not recycle in certain areas, so look it up![1]
- If you can’t find any information online, feel free to call your local sanitation department to find out where you can find more information.
[Edit]Sorting
- Double-check to make sure sorting isn’t required where you live. Some recycling plants will sort your recyclables for you, but occasionally, local laws will require you to sort the materials yourself. Typically, you’ll need to keep paper and plastic separated, but the requirements are different everywhere. Make sure you check on this when you look up the local laws.[2]
- Even if it isn’t required, do your best to keep similar items together to make things easier for the recycling facility. Stack cardboard on top of other cardboard, and keep your aluminum cans in the same portion of the bin.
[Edit]Container
- If your city doesn’t provide recycling containers, get one yourself. Whenever your recycling bin gets picked up, check the container to see if there’s any residue or waste. If there is, clean the container out with water. If any non-recyclable material gets on your otherwise-clean recyclables, the plant won’t be able to process your stuff![3]
- You aren’t always going to get it perfect. There are probably going to be times when you accidentally put something in the recycling bin that isn’t supposed to be there, so always check your bin after it gets picked up and don’t beat yourself up if you make a mistake!
[Edit]Paper
- Recycling paper products is a great way to preserve resources. The vast majority of paper products are recyclable, so don’t throw out your newspapers and old notebooks! If you’re looking to take your carbon footprint even lower, you can even purchase goods made entirely with recycled paper. You can recycle everything from printer paper to egg cartons and lawn signs.[4]
- Most paper products can be recycled. Magazines, colored paper, newspaper, and phone books can all be recycled.[5] Most recycling plants can even take stapled paper and spiral notebooks, and sticky notes.[6]
- If you have gift wrap that has a shiny, laminated texture, it probably can’t be recycled. You likely won’t be able to recycle anything that held liquid, paper towels, or paper that has been coated in plastic.[7]
- If you’re recycling cardboard boxes or paper bags, flatten and stack them to make them easier to process.
- Shredded paper or paper that has been exposed to liquids of any kind cannot be recycled. With that said, some municipalities may still take these products and separate what’s recyclable from what isn’t. You should check you’re your local government, though.[8]
[Edit]Plastic
- Check the symbol printed on plastics to see if they’re recyclable. The number inside of the triangle on plastic goods is the resin number, and it tells you what kind of plastic the material is made out of. Most municipalities will accept some of these plastics, while others are rarely recyclable.[9]
- Plastics with a 1, 2, or 5 on them are almost always recyclable. So long as they aren’t contaminated, go ahead and throw them in the recycling bin.
- Number 3 plastic, which is PVC, and number 7 plastic, which is a miscellaneous category, are rarely recyclable. Check with your local government or recycling service to see if they’ll take these.
- Plastics with a 4, 6 on them are occasionally recyclable, but it really depends on where you live.
- A few plastic items seem like they’d be recyclable, but aren’t. Plastic bags, straws, disposable cups, and tissue boxes can’t be processed.[10]
[Edit]Glass
- Glass can be recycled over and over again, so don’t trash it! Glass is one of the few materials that can basically be infinitely recycled. The major barrier here is that people tend to throw out bottles and glasses without rinsing them out first, which leads to many issues with contamination.[11] You don’t need to scrub every single item with soap, but rinsing out any glasses will ensure that they get recycled.[12]
- In some states, you can make money by turning your glasses into a collection center.
- The one exception here is broken glass. It poses a hazard to sanitation workers, and it’s extremely difficult to process. Throw out any broken glass.[13]
- If the glass had any oil or hazardous residue on it, play it safe by throwing it out. You may end up contaminating other materials if you toss it in the recycling bin.
[Edit]Metal
- So long as it’s clean, you can recycle basically any metal. Aluminum foil, metal tools, and metal pots can all be recycled. Aerosol cans can be recycled as well, so long as you’ve emptied them out entirely by pressing the nozzle. If you’re getting rid of empty cans that used to store food, rinse them out under water before placing them in the bin.[14]
- If the metal is sharp or damaged in a way where someone may cut themselves, don’t put it in your recycling bin.
- The only metals that can’t be recycled are metals that contain mercury (like metal thermometers), and metals with cathodes ray tubes in them, which are found in old TVs and computers.[15]
- Metals with some kind of electrical wiring, like a dryer or iPod, are usually not recyclable. These products can often be taken apart for scrap though, so check with your local recycling center or scrapyard.
[Edit]Batteries
- Most batteries are recyclable, but they typically must be separated. Many areas have computer or big box stores with bins for battery recycling. In some municipalities, you can set them out for curbside pickup so long as they’re in a separate container. If you’re recycling standard disposable batteries, put a strip of electrical tape on each of the leads or put them in a plastic bag to keep them from accidentally conducting electricity.[16]
- You can find a recycling center or drop-off location for batteries in the United States by visiting http://www.call2recycle.org/. There are also mail-in services you can use to ship your batteries to a recycling center meant specifically for this.[17]
- The process for recycling rechargeable batteries or car batteries is kind of complicated. For anything outside of those basic batteries that go in your remote, contact your local government or recycling plant to see where you can take them.[18]
[Edit]Electronics
- Most areas have specific collection days for electronics. You may be able to put smaller electronics directly in the bin, but it’s worth calling your local government or recycling plant to get more info. Electronics are usually taken apart to retrieve the plastics or metals that can be recycled, so don’t assume that old phone or laptop needs to go in the trash![19]
- You can often recycle TVs, computers, cameras, drones, musical equipment, printers, and speakers.[20] Just make sure that you remove any batteries before setting them out.[21]
- You may need to arrange for large appliances to be picked up by a junk removal service.
- You can always donate old electronics. A lot of nonprofit organizations and schools will accept things like old computers.[22]
- If you’re getting rid of a computer or phone, be sure to wipe it of any personal information before you throw it out.[23]
[Edit]Printer cartridges
- Drop your old cartridges off at a drop-off location for recycling. If an ink or toner cartridge is at the end of its life, call your local office supply store. The vast majority of office supply stores will accept old printer cartridges. Most printer manufacturers will recycle your cartridges if you mail them out as well.[24]
- You can actually refill ink and toner cartridges a few times before you need to dispose of them, so do that to reduce waste if you can!
- Ink and toner cartridges aren’t exceptionally difficult to recycle, but most people just toss them out because they don’t know they can be processed![25]
[Edit]Oil
- Contact your local government or waste management company to dispose of oil. It can be recycled, but it’s requires a unique process. It’s really important that you don’t pour oil down the drain or in the gutter, though. Oils also contaminate basically everything they come in contact with, which can make incinerating rubbish and recycling other goods impossible, so keep spent oil separate and get rid of it responsibly.[26]
- Spent oil can also contaminate water supplies, since it’s so difficult to get it out of water.[27]
[Edit]Hazardous waste
- Fuels, acids, and chemicals can be recycled, but only at special sites. If you’ve got a spent container of paint thinner or weed killer, it can almost certainly be recycled. Unfortunately, this kind of stuff can’t go in your typical recycling bin.[28] Contact your local government to find out how you can recycle these items. In some cases, you may need to drop them off at a recycling plant designed specifically for hazardous waste. Examples of these kind of products include:[29]
- Cleaning products, like oven cleaner or rust remover, and home improvement goods, like solvents and paint.
- Anything containing mercury, like thermometers and fluorescent lights.
- Automotive materials, like fuel, antifreeze, and filters.
- Needles, syringes, and medicine.
[Edit]Contaminated recyclables.
- Keep your recyclables separated and clean to avoid contamination. If you toss a greasy pizza box in your unblemished container full of clean plastic bottles, you may make it impossible for those bottles to be recycled. If there is any food waste, oil residue, or paint on your item, just throw it out. When your items are collected, they may mix with other items and lead to further contamination at the plant.[30]
- Food, alcohol, wood, clothing, lighting, tires, concrete, and foam are the most common contaminants. These items can render your entire bin unrecyclable, so just throw them out.
- If you’re in doubt about whether something is clean enough to be recycled, throw it in the garbage just to play it safe. The risk is rarely worth it.
[Edit]Unrecyclable goods
- There are a handful of goods that seem recyclable, but aren’t. Tossing these usual suspects in your recycling bin can make things difficult for your local recycling plant, since they’ll need to be separated from the other goods in your bin. On top of that, you may end up contaminating your other items. Usual suspects include:[31]
- Packing peanuts, Styrofoam, and plastic utensils.
- Ceramic cookware and insulated coffee cups.
- Bubble wrap, shower curtains, and liners.
- Laminated packaging, toys, and mirrors.
[Edit]Tips
- Some cities and towns require you to sort your recyclables ahead of time. If this is the case where you live, it helps to label each of your recycling bins to avoid accidentally contaminating items in-between pickups.
[Edit]Related wikiHows
- Recycle Packing Peanuts
- Recycle Old Plastic Bags
- Reduce Your Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Help Save the Earth
- Clean Dishes on a Camping Trip
- Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
- Turn a Plastic Bottle Into a Phone Charging Station
[Edit]References
[Edit]Quick Summary
- ↑ https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Reduce-Reuse-Recycle/Recycling-Its-the-Law
- ↑ https://recyclingpartnership.org/communitiesforrecycling/recycling-how-it-works/
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkart/2019/04/15/you-may-be-contaminating-your-recycle-bin-with-non-recyclables/?sh=65aa2cb3313c
- ↑ https://www.epa.gov/recycle/how-do-i-recycle-common-recyclables
- ↑ https://pw.lacounty.gov/general/faq/index.cfm?8707=8707&Action=getAnswers&FaqID=JCFdIzRSMCAgCg%3D%3D&Keywords=1
- ↑ https://earth911.com/business-policy/business/paper-recycling-details-basics/
- ↑ https://earth911.com/business-policy/business/paper-recycling-details-basics/
- ↑ https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/DepHowDoI/material.aspx?tag=paper&material_key=24
- ↑ https://www.epa.gov/recycle/how-do-i-recycle-common-recyclables
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/16/which-items-cant-be-recycled-plastic-bags-coffee-cups
- ↑ https://cen.acs.org/materials/inorganic-chemistry/glass-recycling-US-broken/97/i6
- ↑ https://recyclecoach.com/residents/blog/is-broken-glass-recyclable/
- ↑ https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/recycling-broken-glass-265068
- ↑ [v161055_b03]. 28 June 2019.
- ↑ http://lessismore.org/materials/14-metal/
- ↑ https://www.dep.pa.gov/Business/Land/Waste/Recycling/PublicResources/Pages/HouseholdBatteries.aspx
- ↑ https://www.insider.com/things-that-dont-belong-in-recycling-2018-4#mirrors-7
- ↑ https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/renewable/the-afterlife-of-electric-vehicles-battery-recycling-and-repurposing/
- ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/recycling/how-to-recycle-electronics/
- ↑ https://www.recyclemyelectronics.ca/on/what-can-i-recycle/
- ↑ https://www.epa.gov/recycle/electronics-donation-and-recycling
- ↑ [v161055_b03]. 28 June 2019.
- ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/computers/how-to-wipe-a-computer-clean-of-personal-data/
- ↑ [v161055_b03]. 28 June 2019.
- ↑ https://eponline.com/articles/2007/11/12/tips-top-ten-ways-to-recycle.aspx
- ↑ https://www.epa.gov/recycle/how-do-i-recycle-common-recyclables
- ↑ https://www.epa.gov/recycle/how-do-i-recycle-common-recyclables#oil
- ↑ https://www.epa.gov/hw/hazardous-waste-recycling
- ↑ https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/recycling-waste/collection-sites/household-hazardous-waste
- ↑ https://www.epa.gov/recycle/frequent-questions-recycling
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/16/which-items-cant-be-recycled-plastic-bags-coffee-cups
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