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.”

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.

Is My Shredded Paper Recycled?

Shredded paper is recyclable in any recycling process that accepts paper in their recycling bins.

There are, however, a few things we need to keep in mind as we put shredded paper into our recycling.

All paper consists of fibers and the longer the fiber, the more valuable the paper is during the recycling process. Since paper is generally recycled over and over, the fibers become shorter and may need to be "downcycled".

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.

Are Dryer Sheets Recyclable?

“Dryer sheets are usually made of thin polyester that’s been covered in a fabric softener chemical and fragrance chemicals. Unfortunately, the wispy polyester isn’t recyclable.“

Most dryer sheets are made from a nonwoven polyester material coated with a softening agent that has a long hydrophobic chain. 

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 Magazines Recyclable?

Magazines and catalogs are usually made of a higher weight paper with a glossy finish.

“Magazines are made from paper that's been buffed and coated to achieve a glossy appearance. Next, the paper is covered with a white clay that makes color photographs look more brilliant. The shiny appearance does not contaminate the paper at all.

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.

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”.

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.

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.”

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.