Answers
Plastic food containers are recyclable with other metal, glass, and plastic items when they are empty of food. Rather than dump them in the trash, simply tap out the food into the garbage and place the empty container in the recycling. If it is particularly dirty, you can wipe or rinse any residual food out of the container.
Bubble mailers are not recyclable, and belong in the garbage. The thin, bendy plastic lining inside of them makes them non-recyclable. Where possible, reduce your use of them or re-use them instead.
Chip bags and candy wrappers are also thin, bendy plastic and not recyclable in your standard recycling stream. Instead, place these items in the garbage.
Remember: Rigid plastics are acceptable in standard recycling, but non-rigid plastics are not accepted.
Glossy magazines and envelopes with plastic windows are recyclable!
Paper towels, tissues, and even tissue paper, even when clean, are not accepted. This is because their fiber structure is too short to be re-used, and because they are often contaminated. Instead, try switching away from single-use products as much as possible to reduce your use of these products.
However, when you do use these products, remember to place them in the trash when you are done.
Cartons are recyclable with the metal, glass, and plastic! To learn more about what happens to your cartons when you are done with them, click here.
Ok, we know, trick question, right? But odds are, you are missing opportunities to recycle. The average national recycling rate is around 20%.
We understand, though, that this has a lot to do with confusion and product design. In order to understand recycling you first have a lot of learning to do, and that can be daunting to undertake alone.
That's why we do what we do.
Let Diverse help you find new ways to make recycling easy in your space, and provide the education and training necessary to create successful systems.