Recycling or Trash? An Ultimate Guide
With this guide, you will never again be confused about what can or cannot be recycled.
Do you ever hesitate to place an item in the trash? Recycling has excellent effects on the Earth, as errors in trash disposals can result in trash contamination and improper waste management. Unfortunately, the success of the recycling system largely falls on consumers to do the right thing. With so many different types of plastics, it can often be difficult to determine what is, or isn’t recyclable.
Recyclables can quickly become contaminated when one item that doesn’t belong enters the bin. When contamination occurs, facilities can no longer recycle or process materials. Examples of contamination are when food waste or hazardous materials are mixed with other recyclable items.
For example, according to the EPA, out of the 267.8 million tons of solid waste generated in the United States in 2017, only 94.2 million tons were recycled properly. What does this number break down to? According to the United Nations Environment Program, it is estimated that only 9 percent of plastics out of all plastics that have been manufactured have been recycled.
With acknowledgment of this percentage, does recycling seem like the answer to the issue of plastic production? The reality is that recycling cannot be the answer, yet as consumers, our responsibility remains, as we are still expected to follow proper recycling guidelines in order to prevent facing penalties.
What cannot be recycled in your bin?
Did you know that items, such as soft plastics, can be recycled but are not able to be placed in the city recycling bin due to their polymer makeup? Your cities curbside program’s often needs more resources to properly sort these items from the rest of the recyclables.
Here is a list of items that cannot be recycled:
Plastic straws and bags
Disposable eating utensils
Yogurt and takeout containers
Sandwich bags
Gift wrap
Styrofoam
Broken glass
Electronics
Compostable Plastic & Biobased Plastics
Compostable plastics cannot be recycled with other items in your bin and can contaminate and disrupt the recycling process. Compostable or biobased plastics should be accepted by a composting recycling pickup program. You will need to contact your garbage/recycling company to find out where these specific items can be disposed of.
Information on how to dispose of bio-based plastics can be found on the product’s label in order to determine the product’s compostability or recyclability.
Recyclables often end up being incinerated or placed in landfills due to the lack of demand for recycled plastics. If there are no buyers for recycled plastic or other materials, there is nowhere for the product to go. Landfills are known to emit carbon dioxide, methane, and other hazardous pollutants into our environment. The incineration of recycled materials often produces toxic emissions.
You can click here to learn more about how to recycle everyday items.
Items that can be recycled
Here is a comprehensive list of items that can be recycled. To prevent recycling contamination, make sure all your items are clean and have no food waste on them. For oversized items such as boxes, be sure to break them down before placing them in your recycling bin.
Here is a list of items that can be recycled:
Newspapers
Magazines
Pizza boxes
Mail
Cardboard containers or boxes
Books - make sure you remove the hardcover!
Plastic bottles and caps
Glass
Aluminum
Keep in mind that every area has different recycling policies. Check your local recycling guidelines for information about your local area.
California Sets Examples
San Francisco has set measures to keep 80 percent of its waste out of landfills. In the city, residents and businesses are required to separate their waste into three separate bins or streams. Blue bins are for used recyclables, green bins are designated for compostables or natural debris such as lawn clippings or tree trimmings, and black bins are for landfill-destined items. Even food vendors and businesses must follow these exact requirements as well as be limited to using compostable or recyclable containers. Events and gatherings in SF also have to follow these methods and must offer access to recycling and composting bins.
Los Angeles is almost at its goal of recycling 80 percent of its waste. Their initiative called “Rethink LA” helps educate and inform residents on the importance of recycling and composting. They have set a goal to recycle 90 percent of their waste by the year 2025. Restaurants are additionally required to compost their food waste. Companies are also offered a tax break that is based on how much they recycle.
Will recycling solve our waste problems?
Recycling properly will not be the answer to the plastic issue. What can be done? Currently, many solutions are being tested. At Carom, we recommend shifting the responsibility to companies and businesses that are responsible for producing these materials. There needs to be extended producer responsibility for considering the end of life of products and materials that are being manufactured.
If you would like to stay up to-date and informed about current political measures and other ecological disruptors, join our eco-activist newsletter. We need your help to hold corporations accountable and to make changes that benefit our planet.
Key Takeaways:
Recycling has excellent effects on the Earth, as improper disposal can result in trash contamination and improper waste management. Unfortunately, the success of the recycling system largely falls on consumers to do the right thing. With so many different types of plastics, it can be challenging to sort out what is recyclable or not.
Recyclables can quickly become contaminated when one item doesn’t belong enters the bin. When contamination occurs, materials can no longer be recycled or processed by facilities. Examples of contamination are when there is food waste or hazardous materials are mixed with other recyclable items.
Only 9 percent of plastics out of all plastics that have been manufactured have been recycled.
Did you know that items, such as soft plastics, can be recycled but are not able to be placed in the city recycling bin due to their polymer makeup? Your city’s curbside program often needs more resources to properly sort these items from the rest of the recyclables.
