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.”

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.

Recycling Facts 2018

1. "Only about one-tenth of all solid waste in the United States gets recycled.

2. Landfills are among the biggest contributors to soil pollution – roughly 80% of the items buried in landfills could be recycled.

3. Although 75% of America’s waste is recyclable, we only recycle around 30% of it.

Disposable Razors in the Landfill

Disposable razors gained immediate popularity as a convenient alternative to the straightedge blade that had to be re-sharpened.

“In 1847 William Henson invented the hoe-shaped razor that most of us have in our medicine cabinets, and in 1895 a traveling salesman named King Camp Gillette (pictured) combined this shape with the idea of shaving with a disposable double-edged blade. 

The resulting safety razor eventually made Gillette a fortune and solved the hassle of having to remove the razor's blade to sharpen it every few shaves.

How Many Times Can it Be Recycled?

Although many products are recyclable, some have a higher number of times it can be recycled than others. Here’s a guide to the most commonly recycled commodities and how many times they can be recycled.

According to Alcoa, the world's third largest producer of aluminum, the aluminum can is infinitely recyclable. That means it can be used, recycled, and turned back into a new can endlessly. In fact, it can be recycled and back on the store shelf as a new beverage can in less than 60 days.

Are Plastic Bread Clips Recyclable?

Plastic bag closures, the plastic hook-like piece commonly used to hold bread products closed, are widely used across the world in countries like the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia and Japan. “They are also commonly called bread tags, bread tabs, bread ties, bread clips or bread-bag clips”.

“According to the Kwik Lok website, the idea for the bread clip came to Floyd Paxton, Kwik Lok’s founder, during a flight in 1952….while he was on the plane, Paxton was eating a package of complimentary nuts, and he realized he didn’t have a way to close them if he wanted to save some for later. As a solution, he took out a pen knife and hand-carved the first bread clip out of a credit card”.

Are Spiral Notebooks Recyclable?

Spiral notebooks, regardless of whether they have a plastic or a metal spiral binding, are recyclable. The preferred way to recycle them, however, is to remove the spiral binding prior to putting the notebook itself into your recycling bin.

Recycling centers may not have the sophisticated mechanisms necessary to remove the spiral binding as the notebook is traveling through the sorting process, but the bindings will eventually be separated from the notebook. This may happen after it gets baled, sold and has begun the

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.

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.

Are Empty Glue Bottles Recyclable?

Anyone who does any kind of craft or fix-it projects or has kids usually has a plethora of empty or half-empty glue bottles and sticks lying around the house. What can be done with these little bottles when they are no longer needed?

First, you can throw them into your regular trash. This may seem irresponsible to some but may be easier than finding a means of recycling them in most areas.

Are Gift Cards Recyclable?

Traditional gift certificates have been all but replaced by a more modern gift card resembling a credit or debit card. “The plastic the credit cards are made of is polyvinyl chloride acetate (PVCA) . . . . a composition of copolymers of vinyl acetate and vinyl chloride.” Some are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

The plastic credit card-style gift cards are all recyclable as a specific commodity. But is there a better option for them after you have used them? You bet there is.

Are cereal Bags Recyclable?

The mid-19th century breakfast of choice consisted mainly of fatty meats and were largely lacking in any type of dietary fiber. In 1863, James Caleb Jackson, operator of the Jackson Sanitorium in New York and a staunch vegetarian, worked to redefine breakfast.

“The first ever breakfast cereal was Granola, but the cereal never caught on commercially because the heavy bran nuggets needed soaking overnight before they were tender enough to eat.”

Is Bubble Wrap Recyclable?

In 1957 two inventors named Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes were attempting to create a three-dimensional plastic wallpaper. Although the idea was a failure, they found that what they did make could be used as packing material.
 
Now known as “bubble wrap”, this plastic material contains evenly spaced, protruding air-filled pockets. The term “bubble wrap” is a generic trademark owned by Sealed Air Corporation, co-founded by Alfred Fielding in 1960.

What Is One Of The Most Littlered Items?

On a recent family bike ride we rode on a couple back roads that were sadly littered with so much trash, mostly consisting of water and various alcohol bottles.

According to treehugger.com and banthebottle.net, approximately 50 billion water bottles were sold last year in the United States alone, with almost 200 billion being produced each year worldwide.

Are Paper Cups Recyclable?

Disposable paper cups are made from a combination of materials. A thicker layer of paper makes up the majority of its contents, along with a thin layer of wax or plastic film.

Wax or plastic layers keep the cups from leaking liquid, regardless of whether they are for hot or cold beverages. Although this feature makes paper cups convenient and effective, it also renders them unrecyclable by most conventional means.

What Is A Bag Ban?

Plastic bags are lightweight, strong, convenient alternative to paper grocery bags. Flexiblity and and resistance to condensation also make plastic bags a more attractive choice.  

Compared to paper and reusable bags, plastic bags are far more popular among shoppers for everything from grocery stores to pharmacies, and retail stores. They are also easy to store and reusable for many purposes. 

Despite the popularity  of plastic grocery bags, a growing number of municipalities and  states are enacting laws aimed at reducing their use.  Some have even targeted paper grocery bags. 

Should I Remove Caps From Plastic Bottles Before Recycling Them?

Since the inception of more modern recycling, rules governing acceptable items have somewhat evolved. This is generally due to more improved procedures for recycling collection, as well as more improved processes as the raw commodities get turned into new items.

Although caps on plastic jars and bottles used to have to be removed before recycling them, the Plastics Recycling Industry (APR) asks that caps and closures be kept on plastic bottles and containers at the point of recycling."

Should I Remove Labels From Cans Or Bottles Before Recycling Them?

Recycling used to come with a lot of rules and restrictions making it somewhat inconvenient, although still worthwhile. Along with other mandated "Recycling Do's", labels used to have to be removed from cans, bottles, and jars. Today's more sophisticated recycling processes for plastic aluminum, and metal are designed to be effective, with or without labels.

It was once necessary to remove paper labels before the recycling process since they can cause flash fires in the furnace when recycling, posing a hazard to employees. It also produces impurities in the end product. Some recycling centers offer to remove the labels at the recycling plant, but this service is more rare and most times not necessary.