Recycling Myths
Recycling Mythbusters: Do I have to remove tape from my cardboard boxes? Should I put my glass through the dishwasher before recycling? Do I need to remove paper labels from my cans? We bust these recycling myths and more to help break down barriers - real or imagined - between residents and recycling.
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♻️ WHEN IT COMES TO RECYCLING, SOME IS BETTER THAN NONE! ♻️
We know, it can feel like there are a lot of recycling "rules." And we get it, it SUPER frustrating that HOW and WHAT gets recycled differs from place to place - even between neighboring towns! It may make you want to throw up your hands all together when it comes to recycling...
BUT DON'T LET "PERFECT" GET IN THE WAY OF "GOOD"!! Even ifRead more
WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT!
Did you know there's something more damaging - to your community, to the environment - than NOT recycling something?
What's worse you might ask? Throwing something in the recycling bin that is NOT recyclable.
Often referred to as "outthrows," these pieces of trash pretending to be recycling can contaminate - or ruin - an entire load of recyclables. Imagine, all that work done by all those peopleRead more
HERE'S YOUR FRIENDLY REMINDER THAT THIS SIGN: "♻️" DOES NOT MEAN SOMETHING IS RECYCLABLE!
You've seen this symbol "♻️" known as "chasing arrows" on all sorts of plastic things. You may think it means something is recyclable...or is made from recyclable materials.
Unfortunately, it's never that straightforward.
This symbol with a number in the middle tells you what type of resin - or plastic - the item is made out of. ThisRead more
CARDBOARD RECYCLING IS EASY AS 1, 2, 3!
1 = EMPTY your cardboard box
2 = Pop all the flaps and COLLAPSE your cardboard box
3 = Go ahead and FLATTEN your cardboard box
THAT'S IT - YOU'RE READY TO RECYCLE!
You don't need to remove every bit of tape, just be sure your box is clean and dry then 1,2,3 Recycle!!!
FUN FACT: Cardboard can be recycled up to 6 times!
MAKING YOUR RECYCLING LIFE EASIER! You DO NOT need to remove the clear windows from envelopes prior to recycling!
A couple of months ago, a community member wrote to us and asked, "I’ve always removed the plastic portion on envelopes, but do I actually need to do that or is there a system in place in the process to do that?"
We were SO excited to be able to bust this myth! In the past, it was commonly thought that those windowsRead more
MAKING YOUR RECYCLING LIFE EASIER!
Today's Tip: You DO NOT need to wash those bottles and jars out before you recycle them!
Make sure you empty any standing liquid and give it a quick rinse (OR if you're conserving water and the jar had something thicker in it, like mayonnaise, you can just give it a wipe out instead!) and toss it into your recycling bin. That's it!
You don't have to scrub them, you don't have to put them through theRead more