Jul 09 2008
Frugal Q&A - A reader asks about recycling
Michael,
I know this may not be your area of expertise but I was wondering if you knew anything about recycling. My neighborhood offers curbside recycling but that little blue bin just stares at me and I am always paranoid that I am going to put the wrong stuff in it and get the garbage collectors mad at me.
Help!
Charles in Houston
Charles,Don’t be ashamed, a lot of people are confounded about recycling and most just get so frustrated that they don’t do it at all.
The first thing you should do is to check with your local municipality to find out exactly what can and can not be recycled. The most common mistake among recyclers is that they just toss everything in the bin and in some cases those items (most commonly plastics) cannot be recycled at all and must be tossed later at the recycling center.
There are numbers imprinted on the bottom of most plastics that can give you the information you need to go from there. There are seven numbers on plastics and most localities recycle number 1 (PET) and number 2 (HDPE) plastics. Some examples of each include:
1. PET - plastic soda bottles, boil-in-bags from rice, mouthwash bottles
2. HDPE - detergent bottles, milk jugs
Unfortunately, the next number in the list is the least recyclable form of plastic, PVC.
3. PVC - cooking oil containers, office plastics (like binders), meat containers
If you are lucky enough, your area may allow you to recycle other plastics as well:
4. LDPE - plastic grocery bags (if you’re still using them, shame on you!) and plastic wrap. If your area doesn’t recycle the bags, check with your local supermarket. Some of them have bins for recycling your grocery bags.
5. PP - disposable diapers (how appropriate is the PP?), straws
6. PS - CD jewel cases, egg cartons, styrofoam
Then there’s the infamous number 7, which can be divided into one of two groups:
Biodegradable Plastics - while these plastics may be biodegradable you can’t let the name fool you. They must be disposed of properly at special facilities.
Compostable Plastics - non-toxic, breaks down rather quickly
I hope this information has been useful for you, Charles. Thanks for reading Frugal Living and keep recycling!
I guess I’m one of those toss everything in types. But I offset this shameful practice by using reuseable shopping bags when I go to the grocery store!
Thanks for the post. I now have armed myself with the list and can prove that our city does not recycle some of these numbers. I am always being yelled at for not putting some things out for recycleing, but I knew it was not on the list. Now I have the proof that I was right.
Do any local or state governments in the US publish booklets that would list this information along with other waste disposal instructions in a handy and understandable way? I am living over in Germany at the moment, and here, each household gets a booklet that lists exactly which products should go in which trash can, and which products should be brought in to tips and specialist disposal sites. It’s very well laid out.
I realize the information is probably available online, but not everyone is that plugged in, even now. Maybe it’s something to suggest, if it’s not done. Anything that steps up the level of recycling!
Derek.