Can I Recycle Hangers?

Today’s clothes hangers are modeled after an early rudimentary design by Albert J. Parkhouse in
1903. He was an employee of Timberlake Wire and Novelty Company in Jackson, Michigan.

Parkhouse created the device that we now know as the coat hanger because co-workers had “complaints of too few coat hooks. He bent a piece of wire into two ovals with the ends twisted together to form a hook.” He patented his invention but it’s not known if he actually profited from it or not.

Are Sandwich Bags Recyclable?

Sandwich bags, along with a multitude of other types of plastic bags such as grocery bags, cereal bags that don’t tear like paper, bread bags, dry cleaning bags and other food storage bags, are categorized as “film” or “plastic film”.

Film is usually either Plastic #2 or #4 made of polyethylene, the same plastic that makes milk jugs and margarine tubs are made from. Film, in itself, is recyclable, but the recycling center must have the means to provide such a service.

Can I Recycle Wax Paper?

Wax Paper, or waxed paper, has many uses as an aid in the kitchen as a moisture resistant wrapping for food to keep it from getting soggy, among other uses. After using it, however, what should be done with it?

The process of recycling paper doesn’t allow for sticky, glue-like, greasy or waxy substances on the paper. “When paper products are recycled, they are mixed with water and turned into a slurry. Since we all know water and oil don’t mix, the issue is clear”.

The Psychology of Green

What’s in a color? More than you might think. Color isn’t just something we choose because it’s pretty or bright and attention getting. There is a whole psychology behind why we like or choose the colors that we do.

“Your surroundings may be influencing your emotions and state of mind? Do you ever notice that certain places especially irritate you? Or that certain places are especially relaxing and calming? Well, there’s a good chance that the colors in those spaces are playing a part.”

Is Wallpaper Recyclable?

Much of the paper produced in the paper industry is recyclable, but wallpaper is not one of them.

Most wallpaper contains heavy amounts of dyes, inks and even fire retardants. Many types of wallpaper are also coated with a film-like layer of plastic to make them more durable and easier to scrub and keep clean. 

Are Padded Mailing Envelopes Recyclable?

The outside of padded envelopes, or padded mailers, “can be made of heavy paper, paperboard or corrugated fiberboard.” 

These are recyclable materials if they were recycled as a stand-alone item. It’s when they are fused with padding material that their ability to be recycled becomes more difficult to discern. 

Non-Recyclable Plastic

If certain plastics aren’t recyclable, why do they have a triangle on the bottom with a number in it? A commonly asked question, for sure.

Let’s first start with the organization that brought us the solid triangle containing a number to begin with.

“ASTM International, founded as the American Society for Testing and Materials, is a nonprofit organization that develops and publishes approximately 12,000 technical standards, covering the procedures for testing and classification of materials of every sort.” This obviously includes plastics, or resin.

Are Frozen Food Containers Recyclable?

Frozen food containers vary from pizza boxes, where the food is actually contained in a plastic bag or wrapping, to ones that you throw right into your microwave to cook in and eat out of.

Frozen pizza boxes resemble cereal and cracker boxes and are made of a cardboard material that is recyclable as-is.  The other style of frozen food container is a different story altogether.

Does Rain and Moisture Affect Recycling?

Many of us take our trash and recycling out the night before it will be picked up to ensure that  But if it’s raining, does the rain affect the quality of recycling or its ability to even be recycled?  Unfortunately, the answer for some commodities is “yes”.

we remember to take it out and so we get it out before the truck comes on our service day.

Rain on material like aluminum, metal, plastic, and glass doesn’t pose any type of problem.  Cardboard and paper are a very different story.

The Role of Magnets in the Recycling Process

“Paper and paperboard have always had high recycling rates for bulk newsprint, office paper, and old cardboard.  Metal, however, is the material with the second-highest MRF-related recycling rates at over one third.”

 

Machines in recycling facilities designed for the purpose of separating recyclables are made up of several components.  Among these are different types of magnets to sort and handle metallic materials.  The most popular and widely used are overbelt magnets, electromagnets and eddy current magnets.

Are Greeting Cards Recyclable?

If you’re in the market for a greeting card, you’re likely to find one for just about any occasion. Everything from birthdays, Christmas, sympathy, thinking of you, and “thank you” to more obscure things like Groundhog Day, Boss’ Day and Sweetest Day.

“The history of greeting cards dates back to the ancient Chinese who exchanged messages of goodwill to celebrate a New Year, and to early Egyptians who used papyrus scrolls to send greetings.”

Can I Put Recyclables Inside Of Each Other In My Cart?

Newspapers, tea bag wrappers, cracker boxes, and office paper….can you put it all into a cereal box before you put it into your recycling cart? Absolutely. However, if you add an aluminum can or a water bottle into that mix, the answer will change. 

Although Single Stream recycling means that you are welcome to put all of your clean unsorted, unbagged recycling into the same container loose, stacking them or putting some inside of others is subject to some specific guidelines.