What Can I Recycle - Dos and Donts

There seems to be lots of confusion as to exactly what you can and can't recycle.

Here are a few things I know for sure, and just a few things I suggest.

The number one rule of all is to know where your recycling is headed, meaning what facility/company is it going to, then find out what their rules are. You see, one place may take certain things where as another may not.

Ted's Recycling bales it's own cardboard and handles it's own aluminum. They are a recycling island unto themselves. Their rules apply.

Doty's bin near the tracks, however, goes to the Montgomery County Recycling Facility in Hillsboro, IL. So the rules of this facility apply to what goes into Doty's bin.

The Green Fiber bins around town belong to a company that makes insulation. They have their own rules to follow. Usually these are on the side of the bin. They do not want ANYTHING with food contamination.

So, onward. There is a big controversy over pizza boxes. Some say don't recycle because Ug! there is food in it. Some say just do it. What is our situation in Greenville?

Well, it just so happens that I asked an employee of the Montgomery County Recycling Facility recently, "Can we recycle pizza boxes?". Her answer was "Yes!" Her reason being that they are allowed 5% contamination in each bale of cardboard that they produce.

Now - this means a little grease spot is OK, but if your pizza box is crusted over with melted cheese and black olives glued to it, I'd perhaps think twice. Try to clean it off as much as possible, and if you can't, then rip off the lid or any part that isn't covered in cheese. However, if its just a few crumbs that can't be shook out and a little grease circle where the pizza was then recycle away!

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are using the Green Fiber bins that are found around town, then you MAY NOT recycle your pizza boxes. They do not want any food at all in there bins. This takes us back to the most important rule of all found above. Know where your recyclables are going and follow the rules of that facility.

Another fine thing to know: Doty, which again, takes it's stuff to the Montgomery County Facility in Hillsboro, only takes steel and aluminum cans. Aluminum cans only are allowed at this facility. If you have other aluminum stuff that can be recycled then take it to Ted's Recycling. They recycle ALL kinds of aluminum. I asked once if they take pie pans, tin foil, tops of yogurt containers, etc. They said they would if they are completely clean and have no food on them.

Another question: Can you leave the paper labels on glass or steel cans? The answer is yes. The Montgomery County Facility does allow labels on their cans. However, I entreat you to just take an extra second or two and rip them off. Why? Because they can be put in your paper recycling. Just think of all the paper on cans that can be recycled. The same goes for glass jars. Those are a little harder to get off, so don't freak out if you can't. There is actually a cleaning process by which these are taken off in the recycling facilities. But if you can get if off without too much trouble then why not?

I have been asked about the plastic paper windows in envelopes. Again, (you should know the mantra by now) it depends on where you are recycling. Some companies, like Montgomery Co. Recycling want their paper and magazines and such separated. In this case, I would guess that you shouldn't put the plastic window in with paper. (This is a guess and I plan on asking next time I'm there) The Green Fiber bins are another place that I would say, "no" to the plastic windows. As their name suggests, they are after fibrous material. However, if you are taking your paper to Ted's, they take paper, newspaper, magazines, office paper all together in a big bin that says, "Mixed Paper". In this case I think it's OK.

Three last things:

1. Don't panic if you do something wrong. It's OK. You are taking action and making an effort. The only way to do it is just to start and learn as you go. Soon you will be answering other peoples piercing recycling questions.

2. As a general rule, please wash out your recycling. Contamination is not a great thing and it doesn't take a great imagination to think about what a recycling site (like our Doty dumpster) would be like if there was food everywhere. I don't know about you, but I don't want to encounter rodents of any kind. There is inevitably some contamination in the process, however, we can help out the facilities and make their job more productive by washing out our stuff.

3. Think about composting all the food stuff you are scraping out of your recyclables. A huge chunk of what goes into landfills is food. This is really sad, because food in plastic bags emits methane gas which contributes greatly to global warming. People don't realize this fact. However, if food is composted, it's methane release is minor, and it produces rich soil that can be used on vegetable gardens with great results. (read my other posts on composting- or check out one of my green links on how to start composting)

note: you don't have to waste lots of water to do this. Let things soak. Rinse them right away before they get hard. Put glass and some plastic in the dish washer.

I would be glad to entertain any more questions at any time, and I will let you know as I learn too.

Happy recycling!