The Proper Way to Recycle Paper –
You might be doing your part to help the planet by recycling everything you can. However, you never know what happens after you turn your bags in. Some of the recyclables will get rejected because the paper was contaminated, shredded, or wet. This depends on your local recycling community as the rules and their recycling processes might differ.
Here’s how to properly recycle paper and not let your effort go to waste:
1. Keep paper recyclables in a separate container. The garbage container or trash bin must be completely clean. No liquids or foods should come in contact with it. The paper or cardboard you’re recycling should also be empty of any food or liquid. This ensures that the paper remains clean and uncontaminated so the recycling center will accept it.
2. Don’t shred the paper. You might think that there’s nothing wrong with the shredded paper since it’s not contaminated. However, in the case of shredded paper, the paper fibers are too short and can’t be used for high-grade materials. One way you can use shredded paper is for composting.
3. Do not recycle parchment paper. Parchment paper has been used for baking so it’s already contaminated and not suitable for recycling. What you can do to reduce your waste and carbon footprint is reuse the same parchment paper several times if possible. Speaking of non-recyclable paper items, coffee cups are lined with plastics so they’re also not recyclable.
4. When recycling pizza boxes, you need to separate the lid from the bottom part. This is because the bottom part is usually greasy so it can’t be recycled. However, you can use the bottom part for composting so it doesn’t end up in landfills.
Contact Ready2Go Dumpsters now for more information about our recycling service.