How to Recycle and Why You Should Do It

We can all make a difference by practicing proper recycling. As the County of Arlington Virginia Trash and Recycling site says, “Recyclables are collected ... Skiptomaincontent YouarehereHomeConnectBlog HowtoRecycleandWhyYouShouldDo It TherecyclingrateintheUnitedStateshasincreasedfromlessthan7%in1960toover34%in2015.Whiletheprogressispromising,westillhavealongwaytogo.Thisresourceshouldhelpgetyoustartedsothatyoucanrecycleatwork,home,and school. Importanceof Recycling Whyshouldwerecycle?It’safairlysimpleconcept.Whenyoutransformsomethingoldintosomethingnew,itbenefitstheenvironmentinanumberofways.Materialsandnaturalresourcesaren’twasted.Energyissavedduringthemanufacturingprocess.There’slesswastegoingtolandfills.Nottomention,ithelpskeepwildlife safe. Recyclingalsohelpscreatewell-payingjobs.Astudyin2016foundthatrecyclingandreuseactivitiesintheUnitedStatesaccountedfor757,000 jobs. Wecanallmakeadifferencebypracticingproperrecycling.AstheCountyofArlingtonVirginiaTrashandRecyclingsitesays,“Recyclablesarecollectedlocally,butimpacted globally.” Howto Recycle Themainbarriertorecyclingisunderstandingtheprocess.Thatmeansknowingwhereandwhattorecycle.Eachcityhastheirownregulationsandprocessesforrecycling.Makesureyoudoyour research. Whereto Recycle Thereareanumberofplacesthatyoucanset-upforeasyrecycling.Yourhomewillbebasedonlocalcity regulations. Checkwiththeirrecyclingdepartmenttofindoutthings like: Whattypeofcontainershouldyou use? Whenandhowarematerials collected? Whichitemsare accepted? Doyouneedtoscheduleaspecialpickup(e-wasteor metals)? Arethereanyspecificsthatwouldpreventyouritemsfrombeing recycled? YoumayalsowanttobrowsethemostextensiverecyclingdatabaseinNorthAmerica.Entertheitemyou’dliketorecycleandyourzipcodetofindnearbydrop-offcenters.Knowingyourrecyclingoptionscanreducestressandincreasethelikelihoodof follow-through. Whatto Recycle Therearefewmaterialsthatcannotberecycled.Themostcommonrecyclablesincludepaper,batteries,plastics,and glass. Paper AccordingtothelatestdatafromtheEPA,paperproductsmakeupthelargestpercentage(26%)ofallwastematerialsintheUnitedStates.Thisisanupwardtrendthatcancontinuetoimprove.Makesuretokeepmagazines,cardboardboxes,andmailoutofthe trash. Plastic ProgressonplasticrecyclinghasbeenslowintheUnitedStates.Backin1970lessthan1%ofplasticwastewasrecycled,andthatnumber45yearslaterwasonly9%.Plasticplacesanaddedstressoronlandfillsasitcantakeanywherefromfiveto600yearstobreakdown. Glass Only1%ofglassintheUnitedStateswasrecycledin1970.Thatnumberslowlyincreasedto26%in2015.Now,itpresentsanopportunityforadditionalgrowth.Youmayhavejamjars,dressingcontainers,ordrinkbottlesthatcanallberinsedand recycled. Metals Youcanrecyclethosesoupcans,sodacans,andevenaluminumfoil!Makesuretocleanoffanyfoodparticlesbeforeyoutossitintherecyclebin.Americanscurrentlydiscardabout2.7milliontonsofaluminumeachyearandonlyabout50%is recycled. Batteries DidyouknowthatcarbatteriesarethemostrecycledproductinAmerica?Theyaren’ttheonlytypeofbatterythatyoucanrecycle.Determinewhattypeofbatteryyouhaveandfindarecycling location. Electronics AUnitedNationsstudyreportedthatglobally,only20%ofe-wastewasrecycledin2016.Thise-wasteincludesconsumerelectronicsincluding:laptops,mobilephones,andTVs.Theseproductscancontaintoxicsubstances,sodisposingofthemproperlyisevenmoreimportantforthe planet. TipsFor Recycling Evenmastersofrecyclingcanfindroomforimprovement.Herearesometipstorecyclemoreefficientlyand effectively.  Makesureit’sclean!Onesingledirtyproductcancontaminateanentirebale.Itcanultimatelycauserecyclableitemstogetredirectedintoa landfill. Flattencardboard.Thiswillsavespaceinyourbinandmakeroomformore recycling. Setupdesignatedrecyclingcontainersathome,work,and school. Lookforproductsmadeoutofrecycledmaterialswhenyou shop. Identifywhichtypesofplasticyourbuildingandneighborhoodwill accept. Beforeyourecycle,thinkaboutreducingyourwasteandre-usingitemsinanew way. Localartistsandschoolsmightbeabletouseyourmaterialsfortheirworkand classes. Spreadtheword!Encourageotherstorecyclewith you. Wanttolearnmore?Readabouttheenvironmentalimpactofaluminum—andwhyit’sstillbetterthan plastic. Yes,keepmeinformed Sendmenewsandupdatesonprotectingthegreatoutdoorsthroughconservationandservice.