What to recycle and what not to recycle list
If you already know the fundamentals of recycling, you probably also spend some time each week separating trash from paper and plastic by understanding what to recycle and what not to recycle list. Recycling is mandated by law in many states of the United States. However, the number of household items that can be recycled may be unknown to you.
Some can be placed on the curb along with the remainder of your weekly recycling, but others require a little bit more work. Nonetheless, we can guarantee you that it will be definitely justified considering the large numbers of lots of waste that are discarded into landfills every year. Here are a few household items you should recycle in honor of Earth Day.
Because they contain hazardous substances, printer ink cartridges are one kind of recyclable item that shouldn’t be thrown in the regular trash. Thankfully, a lot of office supply stores will pick them up from you and take them to the right recycling facilities. Some will even give you a discount on the next ink cartridge you buy to show that you did the right thing.
Old technology: It is unfortunate that you are unable to simply recycle your old electronics. However, this has absolutely no effect on recycling them. An electronic recycling centre must receive your discarded laptops, televisions, power cords, and other electronic items. Find out where the closest recycling facility is by conducting some research. Most major cities have them, and some electronics retailers also have recycling programs. Keep in mind that many old electronics may contain harmful chemicals and heavy metals if you just toss them in the trash instead of taking them to a recycling centre.
Books, on the other hand, require a little bit more effort to recycle than newspapers, magazines, junk mail, and printer paper, which can all be recycled in the same way as other types of paper. Donating rather than recycling books in good condition is the best option. The out-of-date books on your shelves can be donated to numerous charities, libraries, schools, and used bookstores at no cost.
However, the best way to dispose of really old paperbacks or a textbook that your dog chewed up is to check your local recycling regulations. Some cities will take your old books, along with the rest of your paper recycling; Others offer designated book drop-off locations; yet another calls for the removal of the hardcover spines due to the inability to recycle adhesive binding.
Coffee pods You should start recycling those small plastic cups if you only use them once. Each year, millions of plastic coffee pods wind up in landfills. However, it turns out that the majority of them can be recycled easily. Plastic, aluminium, paper, and, of course, coffee grounds make up the majority of coffee pods. They must be cut up into their component parts in order to be recycled. Before recycling the coffee pod, you can either buy a tool made just for recycling paper, alumina, and plastic, or you can manually peel back the aluminium top to separate the parts. Coffee grounds can be composted or thrown away.
Most of us just toss our old athletic shoes in the trash when they break down. Conversely, if athletic shoes are no longer needed, they should be recycled or given away in good condition. Find shoe manufacturers that offer recycling programs: Some people even mail out old shoes.
What should not be discarded? Hazardous substances You should not recycle packaging that contains ignitable, corrosive, toxic, or other hazardous goods. Oil, gasoline, paint, poisons, and medical waste are examples. Throw away the remainder of these items if only the packaging remains. Check to see if your community offers a method for recycling household hazardous waste (google the name of your town + “Household hazardous waste recycling”) if you still have some product in the packaging, such as if it is half empty. Proper and cautious disposal of these dangerous items is essential in your community. They have the potential to harm human health, wildlife, and water quality if handled improperly.
Recyclables transported in plastic bags We could also count the communities in which recyclables must be transported in plastic bags prior to recycling. New York City and Franklin, Tennessee, my birthplace, are two of them. However, once more, the majority of communities do not permit the recycling of plastic bags.
There it will be dumped. By doing this, you are effectively wasting your efforts to recycle. On the other hand, you are more than welcome to place your recyclables in a paper bag that has been opened. In the majority of communities, the paper bag will typically also be recycled in order for the recyclables to be properly sorted when they arrive at the recycling facility.
Wraps and bags made of plastic You can recycle wraps and bags made of plastic, but you can’t throw them away. The recycling of plastic wrap and bags can be done at the curb in a few American communities. However, a store drop-off is required for the vast majority of people to recycle these items. Particularly, recycle plastic shopping bags and other plastic-based items at your local grocery store. When put in the curbside bin, these things get wrapped around the machinery of the recycling facility.
To remove the bags, workers must stop the machines and climb on top of them. They are then thrown to the ground after that. No fun! If it isn’t too hard, look for the Store Drop Off name on your packs and wraps and bring them to the store with that mark on them.
Batteries, including lithium-ion ones, cannot be recycled at the curb; If you try to recycle them in this way, they will end up in the ground and could harm other people. Batteries pose a threat to recycling facilities due to the corrosive nature of their constituents. Keep rechargeable or lithium-ion batteries out of your trash can and recycling bin because they can also start very dangerous fires there.
To recycle batteries, you must locate a designated drop-off location. Find a nearby location that can help you recycle your batteries by using Call2Recycle. Additionally, you can dispose of the batteries at a local hazardous waste collection site.
