When thinking about what needs to go in your recycling bin and how it should be prepared, here are 5 recycling tips you may not know to get you started.
- Before you even begin putting recyclables into your recycling bin, be sure you know what materials your local recycling program will accept. Every program is a little different so make sure to check so you don’t accidentally recycle something that will clog up the system.
- You should take the tape off cardboard boxes before you recycle them. If you don’t, the tape could get caught in the processing machine that boils recycled paper and filters out the trash, according to a recycling industry expert. (Source: The Spokesman-Review Newspaper)
- In general, you shouldn’t put any paper or plastic that is smaller than 3 inches into your recycling bin. Small pieces of paper like receipts or those fortune cookie fortunes need to be thrown away because they can’t easily be machine sorted.
- Be sure to flatten any cardboard or paperboard boxes you are putting in your recycling bin. Flatted boxes go through the recycling system more smoothly.
- Don’t throw paper shreds in your recycling bin. Shredded paper isn’t usually accepted by most city recycling programs. As always, check with your own local recycling program to see if yours accepts this material.
Be sure as you make purchases you buy products that are durable and won’t need to be recycled or thrown away quickly.
