1. How can I tell which plastics are recyclable?
Different services vary in what they accept as recyclable items. Many categorize them by the “chasing arrow” numbered symbol on the container. This actually represents the plastic resin content of an item. Your recycling service can tell you which items it accepts. Sometimes services only accept bottles of that resin number so it is also important to check what types of each resin number they accept. Drop off services will also list what they accept. Most cities provide a website that suggests where particular items may be taken. The Provo City website offers information on recycling services: http://www.provo.org/pubworks.recycling_information.html
2. How clean do items need to be before they are deposited?
Don’t worry about scrubbing every speck of left over peanut butter. Simply rinsing an item should be enough.
3. Is it necessary to remove labels and lids from recyclable items?
The labels will be burned off in the recycling process so it is not necessary to remove them. Unless you are sure that your service accepts the material a lid is made of, it is generally wise to remove caps and lids. Pressure may also build with the container in the heating process so it is a good idea to remove the cap even if it is accepted by a provider.
4. If something is made from recycled paper or plastic, can it be recycled again?
Recycling a product multiple times degrades the quality. Most products made from recycled materials, however, are mixed with new material and can generally be recycled again. Glass, paper and cans become similar products through the recycling process. Plastic food containers, however, are rarely reused as food containers again. According to the EcoCycle they have a single-use life in that capacity and are usually reused in different items. For example, soda bottles may become carpet or stuffing for sleeping bags and milk jugs are often made into plastic lumber, recycling bins, and toys. Those items that are remade into similar products can be returned and other items will be used in different capacities.
5. How much does it typically cost to join a recycling service?
To have your recycling picked up in Provo it is $5 a month per blue can and $5 a month per green can. Blue cans hold plastic paper and cardboard recyclables. Green cans hold yard waste that can be composted. As a student at BYU, One Man’s Trash Recycling Service charges $32 per semester to pick up recyclables weekly. Similar services are provided across the country.
6. What is the difference between recycling and waste prevention?
Recycling is sorting materials that can be reprocessed.
Waste prevention means actually eliminating or reducing the quantity of materials discarded, either as trash or recyclables.
7. Why is it important to sort recyclables?
Recyclable items are processed through sorting machines. In order to keep the machines running smoothly contaminants are picked out. Too much time spent handpicking contaminants out of the material stream or unclogging machinery increases expenses and decreases the facilities ability to support other materials .
8. Are all materials deposited to recycling services recycled?
Unfortunately recycling is still a matter of market demand. Material cannot be collected and processed if there is no one to buy them. As demand decreases more deposited items have to be thrown away.
9. Is the process of recycling paper bad for the environment?
No- it’s true that the de-ink solution resulting from the paper recycling process can contain PCBs, dioxins, solvents and toxic metals. These contaminants leak out of land fills, however, when they are thrown away. Through the recycling process, these contaminants are discarded properly.
10. What does pre-cycling mean?
Pre-cycling is avoiding waste or wasteful product by not buying them in the first place. This involves, buying products that are minimally packaged, buying reprocessed products, choosing durables over disposables and being prepared to reuse.
