You might be patting yourself on the back for how good you’ve become at recycling around the house. But not so fast…there’s a right and wrong way to recycle, and if you’re doing it the wrong way, you may be doing the environment more harm than good.
According to Republic Services, Inc., not following the proper steps when recycling can lead to contamination. A contaminated can or bottle tossed into the recycling bin can come into contact with other recyclables, like paper or cardboard, and potentially contaminate the entire batch. Fortunately, there are three simple steps you can take to recycle safely:
1. Completely empty the container by removing any food or liquid.
2. Clean the container by rinsing it with a small amount of water.
3. Dry the container by shaking out excess water and letting it air-dry before placing it in the recycling container.
In addition to properly prepping your recyclables, here are some other ideas to do more recycling, more efficiently, at home:
- Think outside the box. Just because something can’t be thrown in the recycling bin, it doesn’t mean it can’t be recycled. Think about reusing items instead of recycling them, and donate gently used books to libraries and schools, clothing to Goodwill, toys and DVDs to hospitals.
- Check out local networks like Facebook Marketplace, town tag sales or Freecycle for getting rid of larger items, like furniture and tools.
- Encourage recycling around your home by placing bins and containers in strategic areas, i.e., a large box in the laundry room for clothes that no longer fit, a collection bin for paper in your home office, and a plastic container on your patio or deck for bottles and cans during an outdoor gathering.
- Be sure to check with your town regarding what can and cannot be recycled, like bottle caps. In some cases, the caps contain different chemicals, which your local program may not be able to recycle.
