As Idaho residents, we want to do the right thing when it comes to recycling. However, sometimes our good intentions can actually make things worse. One of the biggest mistakes people make is what’s called “wish-cycling”. This is when you throw something in the recycling bin because you hope it’s recyclable.
What Not to Recycle
Some items seem recyclable but actually cause problems during processing. These include plastic bags, Styrofoam, greasy pizza boxes, electronics, garden hoses, batteries, and extension cords. Even disposable coffee cups often don’t belong in your curbside recycling.
On the other hand, clean cardboard, paper, aluminum cans, steel food cans, and plastic bottles and jugs are usually good to go. Just remember to keep them clean, dry, and empty. If that peanut butter jar still has half a sandwich worth of peanut butter stuck inside, give it a quick rinse first.
Best Practices
Don’t bag your recyclables. Loose recyclables are much easier for sorting facilities to process. Plastic bags can become tangled in sorting machinery and slow down the recycling process. If you have plastic grocery bags, many local grocery stores offer separate collection bins specifically for those items.
Small changes make a big difference. At the end of the day, recycling isn’t about being perfect. It’s about doing our part. A few extra seconds checking what goes in the bin can help keep thousands of pounds of material out of Idaho landfills every year.
Original reporting: 580 KIDO Talk Radio (Boise) — read the source article.
