The Plastic Straw Ban in Full Effect

According to recyclenation.com, the plastic straw ban went into effect in Seattle, WA on July

1st, 2018.

In a previous article titled, “ Grasping at Straws”, it was noted that,
“Every year 50 million plastic straws from fast food restaurants chains contribute greatly to a landfill full of plastic. Plastic recycling is a green idea that allows to reuse straws and turn these plastic objects into fabulous recycled crafts and artworks for home decorating.”

Can I Recycle Pringles Cans?

Second only to Lay’s with Ruffles nipping at its heals, Pringles’ 2017 sales hit a whopping $549.7 million.

Pringles, which have been around for about 4 decades are sold in over 140 countries and don’t show any signs of slowing down in popularity or sales.

Kellogg Company bought Pringles from Proctor & Gamble for $2.7 billion February 15, 2012. Since then, the product remains strong. Along with frozen foods and other snacks, “the chips helped Kellogg’s sales rise 4.7% to $3.4 billion this past quarter, Kellogg’s said, according to the Wall Street Journal.”

How Empty is Empty?

Recycling should be a process in which clean, empty recyclable materials are sorted and baled then sent to the world market for reuse. Contaminants, however, prevent this process from not only going smoothly, but sometimes prevent it from going on at all.

Some commodities, such as metal, glass and sometimes even plastic, go through processes where small amounts of debris or contaminants don’t adversely affect the final product.

Small amounts of food or liquid left in soda bottles, vegetable cans or pickle jars will most likely not be at a contamination level that would render the whole load of recycling unusable.

Is My Beer Bottle Recyclable With a Lime In It?

“People have been making glass for more than 4000 years, and it’s one of the few materials in the world that is perpetually recyclable. The same glass can be broken down and reused over and over again — theoretically, a million times over.

Since recycled glass melts at a lower temperature than new materials, it takes less energy to reuse. In fact, much of the glass in your favorite bottle of beer has possibly been in tens, if not hundreds of bottles of beer before.”

What Happens If I Don’t Rinse Out My Recycling?

Most recycling centers request that you to rinse out your recyclables before you put them into your bin for recycling. But what happens if you don’t?

If there are a few drops of soda in a bottle, a few small corn kernels in a can or some stray pieces of cereal in the bottom of a box, it shouldn’t be a problem to get these materials recycled.

If, on the other hand, there’s enough peanut butter or mayonnaise on the inside of a jar to make another sandwich, recycling centers may turn away the whole truck load due to contamination.

Recycling Paperboard Egg Cartons

Eggs are generally a staple in every American home. You'll be hard-pressed to find one household in the United States that does no have at least one egg in the refrigerator.

Eggs used to be gathered in a basket or an apron and either used personally or sold to friends and family. Considering that in 2017 the U.S. consumption was estimated at 274.2 eggs per person, the production, collection, and sales are accomplished very differently.

Food Waste Recycling

Food waste recycling is the process of diverting food that would otherwise be sent to landfills to either compost facilities or anaerobic digesters.

“Anaerobic digestion occurs naturally, in the absence of oxygen, as bacteria breaks down organic materials and produces biogas, which can then be used as an energy source.”