World Construction Symposium

Trash Vs Recyclables: Sorting Your Waste For Collection

10 February 2015 by Wallace Simmons

In most jurisdictions, you will be provided with both a trash collection bin and a recycling bin that can be used to dispose of your household waste. However, if you are like most people, you may be putting far more waste in your trash can than is truly required. This is because many people simply do not know exactly what items can be recycled and what items cannot. Consequently, these individuals will often throw away items that could have been recycled rather than taking up space in the local landfill. Thankfully, the information outlined below can help with waste collection. 

Sorting Your Paper Products

Paper is one of the most commonly recycled household products. This is because virtually all types of paper can be recycled. However, there are a few exceptions to the rule. For instance, while cardboard can typically be recycled, plastic lined or wax coated cardboard cannot. You will also need to avoid placing any wax coated paper plates or cups into your recycling bin. Other paper dinnerware, newspapers, copy paper, and magazines can safely be recycled.

Sorting Your Metal Products

Metal is another material that is highly recyclable. The problem is, far too many people fail to see the value that these materials hold even after being used.

Not only can you place metal products into your home's recycling bin, but you can also choose to sell these materials to a local scrap yard. These metal recyclers will often take a variety of metal products, such as aluminum cans, tin cans, old appliances, and other scrap metals. In fact, the only metal that cannot be safely recycled is materials that have been used to house combustible substances, such as gasoline or propane.

Sorting Your Plastic Products

Plastic is one of the hardest materials for many people to sort simply because there are so many different products that are made from this material. While there was a time when only a few types of plastic could be recycled, recent advancements in the area of plastic processing has allowed recycling centers to accept a much wider range of products.

In most cases, any plastic products that are labeled with the numbers 1-7 can be recycled. The only common exception to this rule is styrofoam. While styrofoam is often given its own classification, it can also be labeled as number 5 plastic.

Sorting Your Glass Products

Sorting your glass products can be a bit more complicated than other products. This is because many glass products are now coated with special materials to help improve their performance. For example, window glass will often have additives that allow them to block out UV rays or provide additional privacy. These additives will prevent window glass from being recycled.

While not all glass can be recycled, many of the most common glass products in your home can be added to your recycling bin. For instance, glass bottles and jars can typically be recycled rather than being thrown away.

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