17 Oct We Still Haven’t Figured Out a Way to Recycle These 7 Types of Items

We Still Haven’t Figured Out a Way to Recycle These 7 Types of Items

While most people know how important recycling is and how many benefits it offers to the environment, not everybody understands that there are things that shouldn’t be recycled. If you want to go green and increase your recycling efforts, then you should be careful about the things you recycle because not all of them can be sent to the recycling bin. Following are 7 types of such items:

1. Take-out Food Containers

While it’s true that most foods such as Chinese takeout or late-night pizza come in cardboard containers, such types of boxes can’t be recycled. Any food particles or grease that may be present can potentially contaminate and/or damage the other materials that are to be recycled.

2. Plastic Bottle Caps

A lot of people recycle plastic bottles such as detergent bottles, soda or water bottles, or some other types of containers with a hard plastic flip-top or twist-off cap. However, they don’t know that there is still no way to recycle those bottle caps because they are made from polypropylene which can’t be recycled. So be sure to remove the caps before tossing them in the recycling bin.

3. Plastic Grocery Bags

A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that anything that is made out of plastic can be recycled. It’s not always true as there are some items, for example plastic bags, that cannot be recycled because they can clog up the recycling machinery, and damage the equipment. Therefore, if you want to recycle plastic grocery bags, then it is recommended to contact your local grocery store to check whether they will accept them for reuse.

4. Styrofoam

Styrofoam of any kind cannot be recycled. Items made out of Styrofoam include food containers, coolers, coffee cups, moving boxes, etc. Styrofoam does not biodegrade and there is no way to recycle it, so if you want to go green then you should limit your use of these kinds of products.

5. Certain Types of Glass

Ceramics and glassware are designed with a higher melting point than other kinds of glass that can’t be recycled. Items such as glass art, eyeglasses, mirrors, windows glass, fluorescent lighting, lightbulbs, and Pyrex baking dishes should also be left out of the recycling bin.

6. Certain Paper Products

There are some certain kinds of paper products that cannot be recycled, either because of issues related to their composition, or issues related to contamination.Tissues, paper towels, and napkins are usually considered too contaminated to recycle. Paper that has a plastic coating or is laminated (e.g. a frozen food box), can’t be recycled.

7. Shredded Paper

There are many issues associated with recycling shredded paper. Not only is it difficult to sort the recyclable paper from the non-recyclable material,it can also be hard to handle because of its risk of clogging up the machinery. So instead of recycling, it is recommended that you send your shredded paper to the compost pile.

H-West Equipment, Inc is a provider of recycling equipment, based in Orange, CA.  We sell and service every piece of equipment necessary, from Balers to Compactors, to Shredders, Conveyors, and much more throughout California, Arizona, Nevada and Northern Mexico. We also provide parts and expert service throughout the same coverage area. For a consultation, or to schedule service, reach us through our contact form or call us at our corporate office in Orange CA at (714) 289-7733 today!