Avoid Damaging Recycling Equipment, Contaminating Recyclable Materials by Recycling Properly
According to the Dallas-Fort Worth State of the Region Recycling Report, North Texans send 9 million tons of refuse to landfills every year and recycle at a rate of 22%. DFW has an ambitious goal of attaining a recycling rate of 85% by 2040, citing several environmental and economic benefits to the region as a result. Currently, recycling programs are conservatively estimated to support over 12,000 jobs in Texas, in addition to putting valuable resources back into the economy and out of landfills.
According to the Environmental Protection Agencyhttps://www.epa.gov/recycle/frequent-questions-recycling(EPA), one of the greatest barriers to recycling programs’ growth and success is the everyday consumer who puts the wrong items into recycling bins. These honest mistakes can damage costly recycling equipment and contaminate otherwise good recyclable materials.
· Garden hoses
· Sewing needles
· Bowling balls
· Food or food-soiled paper
· Propane tanks or cylinders
· Aerosol cans that aren’t empty
· Household hazardous waste
· Syringes
· Broken glass
· Broken light bulbs
Despite being common recyclables like cardboard, paper, or plastic, certain items listed below actually cannot be recycled properly. In fact, some of these items can actually harm the process. By avoiding these common recycling mistakes, we can improve our recycling programs:
Common Recycling Mistakes to Avoid:
· Grease-soaked pizza boxes
· Plastic bottle lids
· Plastic silverware
· Styrofoam cups
· Disposable straws (plastic #6)
· Plastic shower curtains
· Waxed cardboard and waxed paper
· Bubble wrap
Green Dallas offers a free downloadable Recycling Guide to keep on hand near trash and recycling receptacles.
Capital Disposal
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