Sunday is Earth Day, and what better way to celebrate than help keep our planet clean.
A good amount of people I interact with recycle when they can, while others really don't know how to recycle, or what to do when recycling. To help people that don't know how, here are some tips on how to properly recycle (all according to recycleacrossamerica.org.)
- Avoid plastic bags -- When you go to the grocery store, you typically bring home a load of plastic bags, right? Before your next grocery store trip, take a reusable bag -- or several if you have a big family like mine and require a lot of groceries -- and avoid plastic bags entirely.
- Always recycle the basics -- The basics including plastic bottles, metal cans, paper and cardboard.
- However, not all plastics and metals are recyclable -- It is a rule of thumb to never recycle plastic or metal utensils, plastic bags (as mentioned earlier), plastic wraps/wrappers, Styrofoam or aluminum foil.
- Other items to never recycle -- Any food or liquids, straws, plastic cups and plastic dishware.
- Do not throw compostable plastics in a recycling bin -- Compostable plastics are biodegradable through composting and are not recyclable, and even can contaminate good recycling. If you have compostable plastics you wish to dispose of, put them in a bin marked for true industrial composts, or throw them in the trash.
- Speaking of composting -- If you have the ability to do so, you can hire a compost service to pick up your food waste and soiled paper waste, so why waste any more time? If you aren't entirely sure what composting is, it is the process where organic materials are recycled and produce a type of soil conditioner -- the compost -- which is great for gardening, landscaping and other uses.
- When in doubt, throw it out -- If you don't know exactly what can and cannot be recycled, Recycle Across America recommends you do NOT recycle it, and to make sure the "guaranteed good stuff" gets recycled.
If you don’t know where to drop off your recyclable materials, go to iwanttoberecycled.org/search, enter your zip code and you should find several drop-off locations in your area.