Trash Talk (and recycling too)
We contract for single stream recycling with our waste hauler. Single stream does not mean everything. Some things either cannot be recycled or cannot be handled by the sorting machinery. Cans, glass, paper, cardboard, and plastic containers are the best candidates.
Wet and dirty items can send a whole one ton bale of sorted material to the landfill. Plastic bags, including ones marketed as for recycling, should never go into the recycling bins even when filled with good recyclables. How can a machine sort a plastic bag full of mixed items?
Items that should never go into our recycling bins include:
- Plastic bags and bubble wrap (Publix has a bin for plastic bags near the door.)
- Paper towels, plates cups, napkins, gift wrap, tissues
- Light bulbs, crystal, ceramics, dishes, mirrors
- Dirty items, like pizza boxes, peanut butter jars, and dirty food containers
- Composite items, for example containers made with metal and plastic or paper.
- Foam rubber, Styrofoam, clothes hangers
More from Waste Management, our recycling contractor.
More Trash Talk
Remember to flatten boxes before putting them in either the trash or recycling to leave room for your fellow residents. (Cardboard has long fibers for strength and is good for recycling.) Wet paint is considered hazardous waste and it is against the law to put it into the trash. A can of dried paint on the other hand can be discarded, so let cans dry before discarding. Never discard highly combustible material in the trash because hundreds of garbage trucks catch fire each year doing millions of dollars of damage.