Hey earth muffins! When I talk to people about sustainability, the topic of recycling is usually one of the first things to come up. “Oh, I do my part because I recycle”, “I think recycling is enough”…. I hate to break this to you all, but recycling shouldn’t be what you start with when beginning an eco journey. While there are positives to recycling, there are also a whole bunch of negatives (but that is a whole post for another time). Along with that, many people don’t actually recycle correctly; this means some things you think you are recycling might actually end up in the landfill. To help improve your recycling habits, I thought I would share a few tips on how to NOT recycle. ♻️
1. DON’T recycle everything and make sure you know your local recycling center’s rules!
Some cities have amazing recycling plants in place, others have none. The rules of what can (and cannot) be recycled will be different depending on where you live. Usually a quick google search of “YOUR CITY recycling rules” will do the trick. Many places have easy to read guides and PDFs with plenty of visuals to help aid you in your recycling. Take time to read through it and understand what types of materials can be recycled in your city. This is extremely important when recycling plastic. If you are new to identifying what plastic type an object is, I suggest reading this recycling guide.
2. DON’T forget to wash out your containers! 😬
If you leave chunks of food in the metal can or plastic jar that you are trying to recycle, it will not be able to be recycled… And it could contaminate the whole batch of recycling as well! Best practice is to dump that extra food in your compost bin, rinse it out with water, let dry, and THEN place in the recycle bin.
3. DON’T bag your recyclables – keep things loose out there!
While trash is put into bags when taken to the landfill, it is important to keep recyclable items loose. Putting your recycling into bags makes it difficult to sort at the center; definitely how to not recycle for sure! Many recycling centers don’t even accept loose plastic bags because they have the tendency to get stuck in sorting machines. If you live in an apartment (like me) and have to bring your recycling down to a shared drop off container, I suggest finding a container that you can easily carry down to dump. I use a plastic secondhand crate that a friend gave me a long time ago – it works great! 🌎❤️ Having everything loose allows your center to do its job efficiently and effectively, which is all we can hope for when recycling!
4. DON’T recycle tiny pieces of aluminum foil.
The reason for no plastic bags is similar to throwing small amounts of aluminum foil into the recycle bin… It might not get caught in the machines, but it most likely will not get sorted correctly. If your center allows you to recycle aluminum foil, save your pieces and turn them into a ball. Once the ball is a large size, it can easily be recycled. 😍 Note that it is extremely important to make sure the foil is free of food/liquids when doing this as well!
5. DON’T get lazy with your recycling habits.
If you don’t know if an item can be recycled, don’t put it in the bin. Don’t put it in the bin even if you wishfully think it might be able to be recycled. If you don’t do the research on if it can be recycled, don’t put it in the bin!! Sure, recycling might take a few more minutes than just throwing it in the trash… But, recycling centers can only be as good as the people inputting the materials to be recycled. It is your responsibility to take ownership of the recycling bin in your house! 😊 If Google can’t help you figure out something you want to know, try calling your local recycling center – they will have the answer you need!
6. DON’T assume everyone else is recycling – do your part!
“One person can’t make a difference”. “My family recycles so I don’t need to”. I’ve heard so many excuses for not recycling. Even if 98% of your network is already recycling, you can still increase that percentage! There is no reason why you shouldn’t take the time to help the planet. Again, recycling has its flaws; but, it is still a great way to do your part! 😊
Love,
Jenna ♥
These tips are really fantastic! A lot of times, I have to look up specifics for my area. I feel like if certain things were broken down more clearly – like they are in this post – people would be much more willing to recycle!
I agree Shannon! Even when I’ve moved around in the same state there are still huge differences that can results in incorrect recycling or people just not bothering.
Jenna ♥
Recycling is so important! Sad that recycling in my country is basically not existential
Ugh that is so frustrating! A family member recently told me that their whole county doesn’t recycle even though all the cities around it do… So annoying!
Jenna ♥
We recycle, but thanks for the reminder to double check our local guidelines. I think ours say to take the caps off bottles, so that is interesting that in your area you are supposed to leave them on!
I was also surprised to see that in my city’s guide. I’ve always been told to take the caps off, but I guess this area just has the machinery to handle it. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Jenna ♥