What Can’t I Recycle?

This past week, I’ve found myself with a number of bulky materials that I cannot toss into my curbside recycling bin. I made a big box of these items, alongside a smaller box containing items that need to go to the hazardous waste unit–I’ve been putting off that trip for quite some time!

Then, I decided to refresh my memory on the items that I cannot — or should not — throw into the recycling bin…items that mess things up considerably for the guys in the recycling depot.

The #1 no-no is plastic grocery bags. Apparently, they’re really problematic for the machinery in the recycling depots and a total nuisance for the dudes who operate them. If you do find yourself with a few hanging around your house, take a trip to your local grocery store, where you should find a special bin designated for used plastic bags right outside the store.

The #2 no-no is polystyrene (also known as Styrofoam): I never choose to bring these eco-nightmare materials into my home, however, it’s often used as the padding for big box items. As you know, almost every appliance you buy will be encased with huge chunks of the stuff and then we’re faced with a big promblemo: how on earth should we dispose of it?

Polystyrene packing peanuts are easy — your local shipping / mailbox center will gladly accept that to re-use. But what to do with the massive chunks? You can break them down into smaller chunks and keep in a box as padding for breakables that you may be shipping in future, or you can break them into even smaller pieces and put them in the bottom of planters to assist in drainage.

You can also do the totally responsible thing, which is to ship them to a company who will actually be able to recycle them. EPS Recycling is the place to go. They have a list of drop-off locations (nowhere near me), or you can ship your white chunks to them. You’ll have to pay for shipping, but it’s a small price for doing the right thing, or in comparison to schelpping around in your car to deliver them somewhere else.

What else shouldn’t go in?

- Soy milk cartons are asceptic (foil and plastic), and most municipalities won’t accept them. Similar scenario with frozen food boxes, which are sprayed with a plastic coating that cannot be recycled.

- Toys, old rags, towels and clothes also shouldn’t go in the curbside recycling.

- Old or broken drinking glasses or glass vases shouldn’t go in because they are a different kind of glass than bottles and harder to recycle.

- A big problem for the recycling depots is any paper with adhesives on it – so avoid tossing anything with adhesive labels or tape in your blue bins.

The important thing to realize is that by tossing inappropriate items into the recycling stream, you’ll actually cause much more trash to go to the landfill. Huge volumes of recyclables contaminated with a few of these n0-no items, will be hauled away to these overstuffed and oftentimes leaching pits.

It seems so much easier to just toss everything into that recycling bin and hope that it will somehow be spirited off to recycling heaven, but the reality is very different – we can all help facilitate the massively important recycling industry by sorting things through before we toss them in.

Remember that every city and municipality has different recycling policies, so when in doubt, visit Earth 911 to find out where and how you can recycle questionable items near you.

About the Author

Sophie Uliano is a passionate environmentalist who has developed an earth-friendly lifestyle that appeals to women who don’t want to compromise their glamour and style. She is the New York Times Best Selling author of “Gorgeously Green”, “The Gorgeously Green Diet,” and the soon to be released “Do It Gorgeously.”

Read more amazing tips from Sophie at GorgeouslyGreen.com