Recycling For Dummies
Paper, plastic, aluminum… sounds simple, right? The general population has grown accustomed to recycling at home and even at work (hopefully). But when my boyfriend threw an empty cigarette pack into my bag full of recyclable items that I was gathering for the week, it made me question the common recycling knowledge I thought I had acquired over the years. The truth is, outside of soda bottles, beer cans, and newspapers, there is a plethora of items are questionable.
Here are some guidelines to keep in mind the next time you question whether or not something should be dumped with your trash or sent out to a recycling center. I recommend checking out your city’s guidelines for additional clarification on which items meet the requirements for curbside recycling programs.
PAPER:
All Clean Dry Paper: computer, ledger, wrapping, arts and craft paper, unwanted mail, flyers, telephone books (separate the spine from the pages), note cards, newspaper, blueprints, magazines, file folders, paper bags, Post-it notes, catalogs; and all envelopes including those with windows.
All Cardboard Boxes and Chipboard: cereal, tissue, dry food, frozen food, shoe, and detergent boxes; paper and toilet rolls; and corrugated boxes broken down and flattened. These should not be recycled:
- Pizza boxes (grease contamination) - consider composting methods if you are a Pizza Hut junkie!
- Boxes that have not been flattened and emptied out
- Wet Boxes
METALS:
All Aluminum, Tin, Metal, and Bi-Metal Cans: rinsed if possible, soda, juice, soup, vegetables, and pet food cans; pie tins; clean aluminum foils; empty paint and aerosol cans with plastic caps removed, and wire hangers.
GLASS:
All Glass Bottles and Jars: rinsed if possible, soda, wine, beer, spaghetti sauce, pickle jars, broken bottles, and etc. Note - most recycling programs will only accept glass containers because products such as drinking glasses, light bulbs, mirrors and Pyrex have been treated with contaminants when manufactured.
PLASTICS:
All Clean Plastics 1 Through 7
Empty Plastic Containers: rinsed if possible, soda, juice, detergent, bleach, shampoo, lotion, mouthwash, dish washing liquid bottles, milk jugs, tubs for margarine and yogurt, plastic planters, food and blister packaging.
All Plastic Bags and All Film Bags: grocery bags and dry cleaner bags, and all clean film plastic.
All Clean Polystyrene (Styrofoam®): Styrofoam® cups, containers, and packaging such as Styrofoam® egg shell cartons, Styrofoam® block packaging, and Styrofoam® clamshell packaging.
Miscellaneous Plastics: Plastic coat hangers, non-electric plastic toys, plastic swimming pools, & plastic laundry baskets.
HAZARDOUS WASTES AND ELECTRONICS:
Automotive Products: motor oil, brake and transmission fluid, antifreeze and car batteries, gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, car wax with solvent, and windshield wiper fluid.
Home Improvement Products: paint, varnish, stain, paint thinner, paint stripper, caulk, adhesives, primer, rust remover, turpentine, mineral spirits and glues.
Household Cleaners: drain cleaners, oven cleaners, toilet cleaners, spot removers, silver polishes, furniture polishes, window cleaners, bleach, dyes, tub and tile cleaner, and ammonia.
Pesticides: insecticide and insect repellant, weed killer, rat and mouse poison, pet spray and dip, flea collars, mothballs, ant/roach killer, garden fungicides, slug poison, wood preservative, and banned pesticides.
Other household hazardous products: certain electronics, batteries, aerosol products, air fresheners, smoke detectors, shoe polish, cosmetics, pool chemicals, lighter fluid, prescription medicines, and arts and craft materials.
In addition to donation centers and municipal programs, many manufacturers and retailers have begun their own recycling programs for electronic goods. The EPA’s website has a ton of resources to assist you with “e-cycling” as well as disposal of hazardous waste.
And for those of you that were wondering if cigarette packs are indeed recyclable, the answer really depends on your local municipal waste center’s regulations. I did find out that most cities in Rhode Island do not accept cigarette packs in their recycling programs. The Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation’s website did not specify.
Additional Resources:
Earth 911 - http://earth911.org/
City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation - http://www.lacity.org/SAN/index.htm
September 4th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Great post! A lot of useful tips. My husband and I are big into recycling. We go down to the trail near our house once a day and pick up garbage and recyclables on the ground. We even make sure that recyclables that were in the garbage can are moved to the recycling can. So, many people throw away plastic bottles into the garbage. What a waste!
October 27th, 2008 at 3:49 am
Wish there were people like the above on the face of the planet.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:50 am
Wish there were more people like the above on the face of the planet.
October 27th, 2008 at 4:17 am
This is what we deal with in the year 2008 in Cape Town, South Africa. Not an isolated incidence. Infrastucture falling apart (unless it’s good for corporate business or tourism (whom don’t visit land-fills it seems): http://www.legalbrief.co.za/article.php?story=20080219093144871
Disgusting but we personally try to do our best.
October 30th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
What a bummer. But at least it sounds as if people WANT to recycle. I have no doubt someone will find a way to make it happen in your neck of the woods soon. Especially with the prices of raw materials going up, those cans and bottles are worth something!
January 1st, 2010 at 3:21 am
Nice article… however, I hate to point out that you didn’t answer the question that you started the article with… are cigarette packs acceptable as recyclable material (assuming you remove the inner foil and outer plastic, and flatten of course). And please don’t respond with one should quit smoking before they worry about the recyclability of cigarette packs… that’s very obvious. Thanks for the article though.