By Valerie Betancourt
Have you ever been standing there holding an item and debating which to toss it into? Going back and forth between trash and recycle? After all, someone is going to sort it at the facility into perfect piles, right? I’ve been there too but I’ve come to learn that recycling isn’t a perfect endless loop as the logo suggests, but in fact a process that many forget to follow or simply don’t know the proper way to. So, what better way to help reduce landfill waste than to recycle the right way, and use less energy and water to extract and dispose of these items. First, before you think about throwing away or recycling, think about new ways you can reduce, reuse, repurpose, or even restore existing items. If there isn’t anything to be done with the item then recycle it whether that is in your curbside bin, dropped- of
f at a store or mailed back to the manufacturer, and know which need special handling.
Getting Started Did you know that just because something has the recycle symbol on the packaging, doesn’t mean it can be recycled locally? It might be something that could contaminate other valuable recyclables.
Step 1 Curbside Recycling
PAPER
- YES: Clean and dry newspapers, magazines, writing paper, envelopes, paperback books, paper bags, paperboard boxes (such as tissue, soda, cereal, cracker with liners removed), cardboard boxes.
- NO: napkins, tissues, paper towels, paper cups, paper plates, coated or shiny paper.
METAL
- YES: rinsed aluminum cans, foil trays, steel and tin cans and lids, empty aerosol cans.
- NO: po
ts and pans, hangers, foil wrap.
GLASS
- YES: rinsed glass bottles and jars with lids
- NO: dishes, glassware, mirrors, pane glass, light bulbs
CARTONS
- YES: rinsed drink boxes, milk, and juice cartons
PLASTIC
- YES: rinsed plastic bottles, jugs, and containers with lids on
- NO: plastic bags and wrap, Styrofoam, candy wrappers, chip bags, pouches, straws, utensils, hangers, hoses, cords, toys, packing material
Tool to place on bins to know which goes where room by room:
https://greenlivingtoolkit.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/WM-Recycling-Labels-for-Each-Room.pdf
Step 2 Store Drop-off or Mail- In
While it is better to use a durable alternative to plastic bags and Styrofoam sometimes it is hard to avoid. However, they require a little more attention to be properly recycled versus just being in the bin outside your home. If this is done it can lead to the equipment being jammed and other materials being contaminated which make it hard to recover. It just takes a moment of time to sort them and drop them off usually where you shop already free of charge.
Plastic
- Yes: clean and dry plastic bags, plastic wrap, bubble wrap, plastic shipping envelopes
- No: frozen food bags, candy wrappers, chip bags, six- pack rings
Where: Publix, Wal- Mart, Winn Dixie, Target, Lowe’s, Kohl’s
Styrofoam
- Yes: clean and dry foam egg cartons, takeout containers, mean and produce trays, cups
- No: cups with lids or straws, packing peanuts, foam blocks used in packaging
Where: Publix
Other Products: toothbrushes, cigarette butts, razors
Take back programs from many major brands like Brita, Gillette, Rubbermaid, Swiffer and signing up if free.
Step 3 Drop- off at Chemical Collection Center
- Yes: alkaline batteries, (automotive, cleaning, lawn and garden, pool) chemicals, paint, fire extinguishers, fluorescent lamps, fuel tanks, tires
Where: Household Electronics and Chemical Collection Center (HEC3) 2855 109th Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33716
References for this article:
Cornershop. (2019, February 21). How to recycle and why you should do it. Student Conservation Association. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://www.thesca.org/connect/blog/how-recycle-and-why-you-should-do-it/
Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). EPA. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://www.epa.gov/recycle/how-do-i-recycle-common-recyclables
Waste Management. (n.d.). Trash, garbage and Recycling Services in Seminole, Florida. WM. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://www.wm.com/us/en/location/fl/seminole
