How to Recycle Properly » The Unclouded Path

One great way to help the environment is through recycling. It helps decrease landfill use, helps save dwindling natural resources, and also helps reduce greenhouse emissions from mining and processing new materials. Those are probably the reasons why it caught on so much. Well, perhaps a little too much. Ever since the introduction of single-stream recycling (no pre-sorting required), people have thrown a whole bunch of non-recyclables into their recycling bins, thinking that they’ll be reused somehow. It’s a real problem, and due to some recent developments, the issue’s only gotten more significant. So here’s what you need to know to recycle properly.

The State of Recycling in the US

Recycling used to be a tedious task. You had to sort out the recyclable items from the trash and then take them to a place that would accept them. Now, most cities have single-stream recycling, which makes it a lot easier for people to recycle. People just need to put the recyclable stuff in a designated recycling bin that gets emptied every week curbside.

But this system isn’t perfect. Going by names like “wishcycling” and “aspirational recycling”, the problem is that people toss just about everything, including kitchen sinks, into the new recycling bins out of overzealousness, lack of information, or just plain laziness. These non-recyclable items contaminate the rest of the recyclable stuff and make it harder to separate and sort them.

For a time, nobody really enforced the recycling rules, though. That’s because China was eager to take the scrap material (non-recyclables and all) to feed its developing industrial sector. But ever since last year, China decided that it would stop being the world’s trash dump and imposed strict guidelines on the material it imported. Suddenly, much of what we used to send there was too contaminated to be acceptable. The move led many recycling centers scrambling to find new domestic markets to sell the material. Some have resorted to landfills to control operating costs, while many others have simply closed. Recycling as we currently know it is in trouble.

How You Can Help

By reducing the amount of non-recyclables you toss in recycling bins, you can help recycling centers by decreasing the cost of sorting through all of it. In addition, the stuff at the end will be more valuable because it’s less contaminated. This could make it more appealing to domestic companies looking to buy recycled materials.

However, probably the most helpful thing you can do is to reduce the amount of trash you produce in the first place. Most things that have been recycled over and over still eventually go to a landfill or incinerator. That’s because most materials lose quality as they go through the recycling process. You can start by buying some things in larger quantities, such as cereal and beverages. It saves packaging material. You could also replace disposable items with reusable alternatives or just stop buying as much stuff. Be mindful about just how much stuff you need to throw away and reduce it whenever you can.

Recycling Properly

If done properly, recycling can definitely play a big role in reducing pollution. But just how do you recycle properly? It seems plenty of people aren’t quite clear on the rules about what goes into their recycling bins.

What Things Are Recyclable?

It’s important to know what your local recycling facilities can handle. What’s recyclable in one city might not be in another. Some places have even started fining people for tossing non-recyclable stuff in their bins. Here’s a general guide on what’s recyclable.

Paper

Paper consists of wood fibers that get shorter every time it goes through the recycling process. As a result, paper can only be recycled about 5 to 7 times before the fibers get too short to make paper of any reasonable strength. At this point, it can be used to make low-grade paper products, like egg cartons, or it can be composted. Otherwise, it goes to a landfill or incinerator.

Any clean, dry paper or cardboard is generally acceptable. Be careful about special kinds of paper products like drink cartons (they have a special lining to make them able to hold liquid) and paper with glitter and other contaminants. Some places accept them but others won’t. Shredded paper is also another thing to be careful about. Shredding paper shortens the length of the fibers and reduces its grade. Different places have different policies on whether they’ll accept it or not. If your area does accept it, it’s best to put it in a paper bag that says “shredded paper”.

Metals

Metals, such as aluminum and iron/steel, can be recycled pretty much indefinitely without losing quality. That’s why metals are one of the most valuable materials in recycling.

Most metal products, such as cans and clean foil, are recyclable. Some places, however, have different policies on whether they’ll accept things like scrap metal (including cookware).

Glass

Like metal, glass can go through the recycling process without losing quality. There are actually two ways glass bottles get recycled. Some companies collect used bottles and then thoroughly wash and disinfect them. Then they reuse them. The other way is to sort them by color and then grind them down to fine particles to be melted and reformed into new glass.

Glass bottles and jars (clean ones) are generally acceptable. But thin glass, like the glass from light bulbs and windows, typically isn’t because it shatters so easily and can easily contaminate a whole batch of other recyclable stuff.

Plastics

Plastics are the trickiest to recycle by far. There are many different types, products often consist of multiple types, and sometimes only certain products made from a particular kind of plastic are acceptable. It all adds to a bunch of confusion. In addition, plastics degrade as they’re recycled, losing strength. They typically can only be recycled one or two times, and they also have to compete with brand new plastics which are very cheap to produce.

Plastic products usually have a code somewhere on them surrounded by arrows in a triangle shape. It tells you (and your recycling center) what category of plastic it is. But the presence of this code doesn’t actually mean that your recycling center will accept it. Here are the codes and what they mean:

1 – PET(E) (polyethylene terephthalate): This is the stuff they make soda and water bottles out of. It’s so ubiquitous in some places that the people there call the bottles PET bottles.

2 – PEHD or HDPE (high-density polyethylene): Containers for detergent, bleach, motor oil, and milk often use this material.

3 – PVC (polyvinyl chloride): Pipes, toys, furniture and plenty of other stuff use this material.

4 – PELD or LDPE (low-density polyethylene): This is what Ziploc bags and other plastic wrappings use.

5 – PP (polypropylene): Various microwaveable food trays, bottle caps, and flower pots use this material.

6 – PS (polystyrene): You know Styrofoam, right? It’s this stuff. It’s also in toys, foam food trays and cups, and packing peanuts.

7 – O (other): For mixed plastics and other plastics that aren’t easily recyclable, such as polyurethane and polycarbonate.

As mentioned before, sometimes only certain products made from a particular type of plastic are acceptable. For example, plastic grocery bags can be number 2 or 4. But even if your recycling center accepts number 2 and 4 plastic, they may not accept plastic bags because they frequently jam sorting machines. You need to be very careful about your local recycling center’s policies, especially with plastics. If you don’t even see a number, it’s better to just to toss it in the trash.

What Things Aren’t Recyclable?

Different places have different policies on what they won’t accept so it’s not feasible to make a list here. But I can give you a list of things that aren’t allowed period. These are things that people actually put inside their bins at some point. It’s pretty ridiculous if you think about it. Remember to use some common sense in addition to your newfound knowledge in recycling when thinking about whether you should put something in your recycling bin.

anything rubber, ceramic, or wood
food waste
anything soiled with food (looking at you, pizza boxes; you could, however, break off parts of the box that don’t have oil on them)
diapers
batteries (these are actually dangerous since they can catch fire if damaged; take these to a place that can process “e-waste”)
electronics and appliances (again, take these to a place that can process “e-waste”)
medical waste
clothing
anything made of many different materials (ex. deodorant containers, snack bags, toys, bowling balls…)

The Future of Recycling

With China largely out of the picture right now, there isn’t much of a market for many recycled materials, especially plastic. But if current recycling methods improve and the quality of the materials goes up, that could change.

The whole situation is also forcing us to find new uses for our trash. Some companies have started using old rubber to make landscaping materials. A company in Australia is pioneering the use of recycled materials mixed with asphalt to pave roads. Another is making reusable cups from disposable ones. As we find more uses for recycled materials and get more efficient at processing them, new markets for them will emerge. Recycling is and always will be a vital part of keeping the planet clean. So don’t give up on it, get better at it.