From Guest Blogger Lizzie Weakly: Community Cleanup–How to Recycle Smarter
People are born into bad habits, wasteful habits. They pile up their trash with things they don’t know how to use anymore and ship the bags off to be buried in the landfill. However, recycling has never been easier; most just need to collect their recyclables into the designated bin and wait for garbage collectors to haul them away.
How to start recycling
Before they can recycle, people need to make sure they know what recyclable items their area collects and uses. Although most collected items are the same from city to city, this is not always the case. For example, some towns find it too costly or inconvenient to recycle glass containers. However, recyclable items are pretty standard; the most common recyclables are:
- Cardboard
- Paper
- Food boxes
- Food cans
- Soda cans
- Plastic bottles (and caps)
- Plastic jugs
- Glass bottles and jars
People can also recycle things like plastic bags and textiles but are usually collected separately from the items listed above.
Not only do individuals eliminate their waste and the cost of removing that waste, but recycling helps provide the economy with useful products worth billions of dollars. For example, plastic bottles can be recycled to make items like smart pallets.
Tips for recycling smarter
Those new to recycling should do their research and be on the lookout for new ways to recycle:
- Save clean items. People should rinse out containers with leftover food and dispose of the grease-covered side of the pizza box.
- Save paper. Paper is the most recycled material by weight, and some recycling centers accept paper products like mail and phone books.
- Recycle larger items. Items smaller than two inches in diameter often get misplaced during the sorting process and can potentially contaminate whole bales of recyclables.
- Recycle on the go. People can add items that they gather while they are out to their recycling bins at home.
- Make the extra effort. If serious about recycling, people should look for ways to recycle items that aren’t accepted by the local recycling center (like old electronics).
- Recycle food. Food products like egg shells and coffee grounds can be added to the garden or a compost pile and benefit the soil.
Recycling is both a moral and smart behavior that people should practice. Many want to recycle, but they often get discouraged because they don’t know how to do it properly. Millions of items get recycled every year, and although more recycle now than in previous decades, people should be encouraged (and encourage others) to participate.
