Learning something new about RECYCLING

Many many years ago, I was the treasurer of the board of a non-profit agency in the town where I went to college.  (Back before I had kids, when I had the luxury of free time for things like VOLUNTEERING).  Anyway, one of my fellow board members happened to own the town dump/garbage company/recycling facility.  He often hosted board activities at the dump, too, because 1) he lived to volunteer and 2) the dump was crazy-huge and he built a nice big building with an extra room specifically for community type meetings.  (Every year he also hosted a giant fundraiser called "Dinner at the Dump" too).

Anyway, one night I was helping him clean up after a pot-luck something-or-other and I saw him throw a giant pizza box in the trash.  I was horrified.  I mean, we were something like TEN feet from the county's largest recycling facility and he just pitched a CARDBOARD pizza box in the trash can.

"Aren't you going to RECYCLE that??!?"  I insisted.

"No.  Greasy pizza boxes are NEVER recyclable."

Well that was news to me and for the past five years, I've thrown my pizza boxes out with the dirty diapers, but I never really knew WHY.  I just took the town dump owner's word as gospel.  But last night I was enjoying my most recent copy of REAL SIMPLE Magazine (the only magazine on earth that feels like it was written SPECIFICALLY for me) and I finally learned why!

"Food residue can ruin a whole batch of paper if it is left to sit in the recycling facility and begins to decompose."

I had no idea!  (The article I'm referring to is "How to recycle anything," in the October 2008 issue of Real Simple.)  Reading on, I learned some other big recycling mistakes I've been making, namely, attempting to "hide" things  in my bins like plastic packaging, yogurt cups and even Styrofoam mushroom boxes (I'll be buying my mushrooms in bulk from now on and recycling the plastic bag) and other things that aren't on the approved recycling list for my local facility. You know, the list I have TAPED TO THE WALL right above my trash can in the pantry.

Plastic bottle caps, for example, are "made from a plastic that melts at a different rate than the bottles, and they degrade the quality of the plastic if they get mixed in."   I KNEW I wasn't supposed to be throwing those in the recycle bin, but I've always been lazy about it.  Oops.

I guess the big thing I learned is something that all of us do: we try to push the limit of what we put in the bin.  We do it because it seems better to TRY and recycle something than to throw it out, but from now on, I'm going to follow the rules more carefully.  I had no idea that my good intentions were doing so much more HARM than good.  I hate think of how many batches of paper I've ruined because I thought it was better to RECYCLE those dirty paper plates than to pitch them. 

Things I vow to stop buying because they are not recyclable:

• Plastic silverware (no facility in the US recycles plastic silverware!)
• Goldenrod envelopes (the dye is too difficult to remove)
• Padded envelopes with bubble wrap
• Plastic wrap (saran wrap, etc) (because it's too difficult to decontaminate, good thing I stopped using it specifically for the risk of it contaminating MY FOOD)
• Juice bags (these can be reused by mailing them to terracycle, but I know I'm not organized enough to do that!)

Comments

[1hot&tiredmamat]

I had the same epiphany after reading that article! I tore it out so I could keep some of the information on hand -- like the terracycle deal. I don't know if I'll ever do it, but at least I have the info to use later or maybe to tell someone else.

[bethany actually]

I knew some of that, but not all. I have to give up my beloved bubble envelopes!? *sob!*

[BethanyWD]

I just need to make one comment here - while the greasy pizza boxes may ruin the paper recycling; in some areas (like where I live near Seattle), you can put greasy pizza boxes (and used napkins, food scraps (even meat!), coffee and filters, and the like) in your yard waste bin. We can even recycle uncoated paper plates. It's a great idea to check with your garbage/recycling service to check what is in and what is out for your particular area.

[Annagrace]

This is a good reminder and good info-thanks for posting this! My friend Karli recently a super in-depth post on recycling in Portland. I know it's a different set-up than we have in Vancouver, but it's worth checking out--if nothing else because she spent a ton of time researching and photographing it. Here's the link

[Joceline]

Thanks for the reminder. It is also motivating to hear the things that you're giving up buying. I still haven't given up buying plastic wrap and bags, but I'm thinking that once the current boxes are gone...they're gone. We gave up paper towels, paper napkins, and grocery bags. Trash bags are next. Trash bags. Wish me luck...

[laura]

i actually belong to terracycle and it can be ok a pain to wash little juice pouches but i feel like im doing something good. and there is this great organic juice i found at sams club called Honest Kids like no sugar, and all that stuff, organic, recycled materials and all..

[Allison]

I usually only comment on your recipes (which have been so good to me, thank you!!!), but here is something interesting that my county (Alameda in California) offers, which addresses the pizza box/paper plate issue: The green waste bin.

The green waste bin is where you put anything -- including grease-soaked pizza boxes and dirty paper plates/napkins -- that is food or plant matter. It's the same bin that you put all grass clippings and such. The county then takes it and uses it all to make fertilizer.

You can put ANYTHING in it that is foodish/paperish. So that includes meat and bones, used paper towels, fish and of course ALL leftover anything. (Dumping uneaten leftovers into the green waste helps ease a bit of my guilt over the waste of the uneaten leftovers.)

Don't know if your city/county offers something similar, but it might be worth inquiring.

[jaime]

And just remember, whenever you put non-recyclables in with your recyclables, some poor schmoe's gotta pick that trash out.

I know, once upon a time I was that poor schmoe.

[Denise]

I am so screwed. I've been killing our universe.

[Rhi]

Awesome post! I'm SUCH A PORTLANDER in that I'm obsessed with recycling - but I did not know that about bubble wrap envelopes. I do usually try to reuse them, but I know for a fact I tossed one in the recycling last week.

[Astarte]

I didn't know about the pizza boxes!!!! Also, thank you SO MUCH for posting the link to that article!!! I'm going to email it to everyone I know!

[Kris]

Yeah, that plastic wrap is NOXIOUS! If you read about it, it is not supposed to come into contact with food. But my father in law does not listen to me and wraps everything in it. I gave up on him about 10 years ago.

I am a recycling flunkie, so far. Maybe there's still hope for me....

[Rebecca]

Really good information! Thanks for sharing!

[Neva]

Thanks for posting that information--I didn't know that about pizza boxes, either.

Recycling is a big issue within my HOA and we are always trying to stay on top of things as far as what can and cannot be recycled. I've got to pass along this info to other board members.

I try to limit my waste, too. I never buy food products that are over packaged and I reuse all my boxes and padded envelopes. As you know, it's little things that add up!