Recycle 2 Save

I see on sites like yours that you accept most plastics 1-7. Why is it that where I live they take only #'s 1&2?  I even know they bring it to you. Should I throw it in the bin anyway and let them figure it out.. since obviously they can be recycled? Thanks!  Kaylee You are not alone Kaylee, I have heard this question frequently. A local township or drop off center has the ability to decide how they'd like the recycling in their area handled. They can determine what type of program best fits their residents. Plastics #'s 1&2 are typically the most common and highly recyclable plastic, with a steady rebate (when kept separated, clean, and contaminant free). A lot of thought typically goes into the decision of what items they will allow for collection. 1. Cost : The number one factor is typically cost. We'd like to pretend that the environment is all that matters but in a time when budgets are being cut and programs dropped or suspended, money plays a very i...

  We have the ability to make everyday Earth Day. Celebrate our Earth today.  

We only had one answer but he was right on. Way to go, you showed us your skills!   The above corrugated is coated with wax (used mostly for produce). The wax coating makes recycling it with other corrugated items not possible and recycling in general quite difficult. Some companies may be able to handle this item but at a minimum must be kept separate. The above corrugated is very recyclable and so is the plastic which is wrapping it but together they are garbage. If the plastic is removed both items can be thrown in (separate) recycling bins.   The above items are box cutting, this material is commonly used for soda can packaging, cereal, boxed pasta, etc. They do not have the "honey combed" makeup that you'd find in corrugated boxes. They are fully recyclable but do not have the same value and reuse potential that corrugated does.     Thanks so much for participating.. if you enjoyed Recycling 101 let me know and we...

These items were sorted out of the corrugated and are considered contamination in that grade. Any idea why?     Why not participate? You can show off your recycling skills or maybe learn something new.    

We've been hearing the chants recently.. single stream, single stream, single stream. It has become  the craze and it seems that nearly everyone thinks its the wave of the future (heck they have a song about it  Toss It Baby ). Many "environmentalists" push for the idea, they claim it'll get those people recycling that previously refused and greatly improve recycling numbers and participation. I consider myself to be environmentally conscious, so much so that I think dual stream is a better option (yeah, I know, no one cares). So okay, technology in the single stream arena has improved, separating the material has become more effective, and the residual rates have gone down (still noticeably higher then a dual stream facility).  We have agreed, that with everyone pushing, single stream seems to be a necessity brought on by market demand. CRI Hamburg is in the midst of installing a single stream sorting syste...

A little lady thinking green. I know I'm not alone here, I've heard plenty of people saying the same thing this year. I am so ready for spring!The snow and ice melted, the birds starting singing, little bulbs started blooming and then.. it snowed ,ice (re)formed, and the heating oil is still pouring through our burner like coins in a slot machine. I think the biggest hurtle is the mental aspect of things. Had mother nature not let us taste the warmth we wouldn't be craving it quite as badly right now, but we did.. and we want more! This correlates with my last post talking about how to get employees to participate in the recycling efforts of a company. In most instances once staff and management "taste" the benefits of recycling or see the impact one company can have in our environment it's tough not to crave more. It becomes easy, almost second nature, to look for more ways to save or more things to pull out of trash. It is always harder to retrain a...

Kim A emailed me a question:   I have been tasked with getting our office recycling program running. The actual process of recycling collection has started but the staff isn't really jumping on board like I thought they would. I fought for our company to recycle but it's not going as planned. Please help!! Kim, thanks for writing. You are not alone, many times it is tough to get staff to jump on board with anything new let alone a new recycling program. So often people are scared of change and accustomed to doing things the way "they've always done it". I do have a few key suggestions that have provided the needed motivation in the past. 1. Keep it simple. Any extra steps needed to recycle will often be steps not taken. Place recycling bins right next to garbage bins, typically in high traffic areas. 2. Label clearly. When not sure what to do you resort to what you know. If not properly and completely labeled the employees will go back to what they k...