Is Ceramic Recyclable?

Although most things with the right process are recyclable, conventional means of modern recycling
aren’t able to handle specific products, even if they are common, everyday products. Ceramics is one of these products.

Ceramics are essentially made of clay, whereas glass’ main component is silica or sand. Although glass is a type of ceramic, these two product types have very different recycling processes.

How Many Shoes Are In Landfills?

The number of pairs of shoes people have in their closets compared to how many they actually wear is usually glaringly different.

According to usagainblog.com, studies in 2013 “estimated that 20 billion pairs of shoes are produced annually, and unfortunately, roughly 300 million pairs are thrown away each year.”

Can I Recycle Vinyl Siding?

When most people think of recycling, products like aluminum, plastic, cardboard, and paper come to mind. Materials like vinyl begin to become more questionable as a recyclable item.

“Vinyl is not a natural substance but is a synthetic man-made material. It is a type of plastic that is made from ethylene (found in crude oil) and chlorine (found in regular salt). When processed, both the substances are combined to form Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) resin, or as is commonly referred to - Vinyl.”

What Constitutes a “Contaminant” in Recycling?

In terms of recycling, a contaminant is anything that is not conducive to the recycling process of a particular commodity.

When recycling glass, for example, an aluminum can mixed in with the glass is considered a contaminant. Although aluminum itself is a recyclable material, it contaminates the glass load by not being able to be recycled with the same process as glass, therefore fouling up the whole operation.

Is Metal Bakeware Recyclable?

A century ago, baking used to be done on stone or clay bakeware.  Modern aluminum or metallic
bakeware made an incredible difference in how people cooked.

"Metal pots are made from a narrow range of metals because pots and pans need to conduct heat well, but also need to be chemically unreactive so that they do not alter the flavor of the food. Most materials that are conductive enough to heat evenly are too reactive to use in food preparation."