Understanding How To Recycle
- Meera Naveen
- Mar 26, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 24, 2024
Of course, there's basically just one simple way to recycle: to throw something in a recycling bin. But how do you know what to recycle, and what those symbols mean?
First of all, when deciding whether to put something in a recycling bin, compost, or trash can, first check if it's biodegradable, such as food remnants. If it is, then it belongs in compost.
If it has a recycling symbol on it, it usually belongs to a recycling bin.
Resin Codes:
One main thing that might fool many people are recycling resin codes, which are those recycling symbols with numbers inside of them. They are very hard to find sometimes, so look closely everywhere on the product, on the labels, the top (such as a lid), the bott om, everywhere, and on most products it's likely you'll find one of these resin codes.
If you find one with the number 6 inside, it means that the product is made out of polystyrene and might not always be recyclable. To be safe, you can hand it over to reliable recycling organizations and programs such as TerraCycle, and they might be able to recycle it for you.
Electronic Waste:
Electronic waste is the same: before throwing it away, think of the chemicals this technology might leak: consider giving it to a program that recycles electronic waste for you before making any quick decisions. Remember, the more we can recycle, the better, because we use way less materials and pollute the Earth way less in the process.
Bottles And Caps:
Have you ever noticed that whenever you look at the recycling details of your plastic water bottle, it usually says to recycle and replace cap over the symbol?
This is because a lot of times, the caps are made from a different plastic material than the bottle, making it harder to recycle. It's better to follow the rules and follow the directions of your local recycling program, but you could also buy bottles with recyclable caps as well or stick to reusable bottles more to reduce the number of caps that go to waste.
So, now that you know a few do's and don'ts and why, here are some general things you can definitely recycle so you know:
Aluminum foil
Most tree materials, such as wood, paper, cardboard, this includes things like tissue boxes, cereal boxes, etc.
Envelopes with or without plastic windows
Most cosmetics and skin care containers such as clean lotion bottles, deodorants, shampoo/conditioner bottles, etc. (check resin codes just in case)
Cleaned yogurt containers (check resin codes)
Plastic water bottles without cap
Cartons, such as of milk and juice
Most cleaning containers and containers of non - perishables (check resin codes)
And, as I said before, if you can't recycle something that doesn't fit in the composting section either, see if you can reach out to recycling organizations so you don't have to put yet another thing into waste.
So, to conclude, recycling is not just about looking at the recycling symbol of something and putting it into that section. There's way more than just that, and it's really helpful to be informed about how to appropriately recycle, and contribute to the Earth.
Works Cited:
Images from Wix
Comments