The difficult duty of recycling falls to our own recyclers, who, despite accepting a growing quantity of products, are hampered by trash that clogs conveyors, contaminates other materials, must be disposed of, or includes poisonous elements that can hurt personnel. Here are a few recycling basics that can help you and the Orange County recycling center reduce landfill waste and improve our recycling practices.
- The majority of plastic is not recycled.
Recently, there have been a few alarming figures. One was the massive volume of dumped plastic, which amounted to millions of tonnes. The other problem is that 85 percent of the plastic ended up in landfills. The truth is that a lot of recyclable plastic isn't recycled, and many plastic items aren't recyclable at all, such as children's toys, plastic coolers, and plastic furniture.
What you can do: Avoid non-recyclable and single-use plastics, even if they are recyclable, when shopping.
- Electronics, from thermostats to batteries, can wreak havoc in landfills.
Old thermostats and other electronic devices may contain hazardous elements like mercury or electronic components that should not be discarded. Thermostats that are no longer in use can now be recovered and recycled through the TRP. CDs and smartphones, as well as electrical toys and musical instruments, are among the many items that can be recycled.
What you can do is learn where you can recycle specific items, such as electronics, in your area.
- It's not favorable news for recyclers if it's dirty.
Even some spoonfuls of peanut butter left in a jar can infect a tonne of paper. Recyclers have had to devise costly techniques to sift out tainted products, so taking the time to rinse containers and ensure that no food gets into the recycling bin should be a priority.
What you can do: It could be tough, but accept that a pizza box that is soaked in oil isn't recyclable paper and is best off in the trash or your compost bin. Remove liquids and loose food from jars, coffee pods, and other recyclable containers by rinsing them.
- You should examine your everyday cup of coffee (paper)
Composable or recyclable paper coffee cups should be standard at Starbucks and other coffee shops by now, right? That is not the case. While some cafes employ composable cups, the majority of paper cups must be cleaned and separated from the plastic lid before being recycled.
What you can do: You should have expected this. Use a reusable cup wherever possible, and if that isn't possible, consider a silicone collapsing cup — there are various kinds available online or in stores. Also, if you're having coffee in a café, make sure you get it in a reusable cup. Because this request is frequently ignored, make it clear that you do not want a paper cup.
- That “donated” TV or coffee table in your recycling room will end up in the landfill.
You can convince yourself that that old TV, microwave, chair, or frying pan might be used by someone in your strata or on your street. The truth is that you're simply delegating the recycling chore to someone else, and there's a considerable risk that your overworked building management will simply throw it in the trash.
What you can do: Make a monthly trip to the local recycling center a habit, and learn which goods your local thrift store genuinely wants. After hours, don't just throw items out the back door.
Make sure you follow these steps to make sure you are making the work for recycling orange county more easy and time efficient.
