April 15, 2004

Curious, George: Recycling so there's lots of info on recycling out there. collectively we've done a great job getting started on this whole thing. some businesses have gone whole-hog on the idea. but still, even with all this, my curbside recylcing program can't explain to my why some forms of #2 plastic are unacceptable for the city recycling service contractor. they tell me that #2 plastic in a non-screwtop-bottle form will not be picked up, with no explanation (despite repeated phone calls for more info). anyone have any clue? to me it's like saying that aluminum cans are ok to collect, but aluminum foil is a no-no. i mean, it's still #2 plastic, right?

on a related note, when i do put my trash out for a curbside pick-up, i'm always amazed at how much garbage my neighbors seem to generate. in a one week period i don't think i generally fill more than one to one and a half bags of trash, including dumping the cat litter (to be fair, it's just my wife and i, but...). the curbside containers that quite a few of my neighbors use are just stuffed to overflowing. how's the recycling in your area? how much junk do you end up tossing every week? and i would love to hear any ideas you all might have regarding getting my recyclable plastics to someplace that will recycle them... (and for those of you who clicked on the recycling contractor link: holy crap, a blink tag, in the wild? that's so 1995 - sorry 'bout that...)

posted by caution live frogs 20 years ago
  • Granger is a Christian, family-owned business built upon the Golden Rule striving to develop all relationships on integrity and mutual respect. Mutual respect for all... except non-screwtop#2 Plastics that is! And yay for Safari not having the Blink tag enabled. No pain for me.
  • From here. WHY CAN'T MY YOGURT CUP BE RECYCLED? IT HAS A #2 ON THE BOTTOM, JUST LIKE THE MILK JUG YOU ACCEPT. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? Many types of plastic containers such as yogurt cups, plastic bags, styrofoam, take-out food containers and wide-mouth bottles, are not recyclable. So even though your yogurt cup may have a #2 embossed on the bottom inside the chasing arrow symbol, that doesn't necessarily mean it's recyclable. The number on the bottom of the container indicates the general category of plastic it's made from. Although a yogurt cup may be made of #2 plastic, (the same type of material as a recyclable milk jug or bleach bottle), it contains different dyes, plasticizers, UV inhibitors, softeners, and other chemicals required to shape it into a cup. This mix of additives changes the properties of the plastic and make it incompatible with the plastic used to make bottles.
  • I understood that the caps themselves were a different type of plastic and not recyclable. Unverified though.
  • I've read that the plastic caps aren't recyclable too. Where I live (St. Paul, MN) they don't even pick up plastic at the curb like they do for other recycling. I haul it to a recyling center. This article from the University of Minnesota's newspaper may be a few years old but seems to indicate that there has been an increased use of plastic (over aluminum) in soda consumption and a decrease in demand for the plastic after it's use.
  • I had a similar problem with my local recycling program. They would take some plastics (soda bottles) but not others (windshield fluid bottles). They were also pretty selective about cardboard. When I inquired, I was told that certain materials aren't as profitable as others on the recycling market (the collection company sells the stuff to actual recyclers) so they don't bother picking it up. The solution? Since the collection company is granted a license from your local municipal government, start there. If enough taxpayers (voters) complain, the local government can pressure the collection co. to collect everything, or give the contract to someone who will.
  • personally, i miss glass pop bottles. easily recyclable, pop tasted better when you drank out of them, and sizes over about 16 oz were just unwieldy and as such didn't exist. now we have 24 oz plastic bottles in 8 packs. because everyone needs to consume 4 pints of raw corn syrup a day. oh well...
  • i'd prefer to know how to reduce my recycling habit. virtually everything goes here, so each week it's sorting the plastic, glass, cans, cardboard, newspaper, styrofoam... hazardess waste i have to deliver to the centre myself. then there's all the kitchen waste to take out back to the composter... for two of us we now put out about 1/2 bag of garbage a week, with a lot of that able to go into a 'wet' recycling program, if they ever get it organised. sometimes i want to scream and toss everything into that non-oerishable green bag, but i don't. at least there is the somewhat virtuous feeling from seeing other people's overflowing garbage leavings. but i am forever intrigued by one neighbour who puts out one garbage can per month and one recycling bin at the same rate. we are forced to pay for anything over two bags of garbage so, suspecting the worst to come, i have worked hard to reduce the green bag contents as much as possible. send me your yoghurt cups and i shall set them free!
  • make that 'o' a 'p'!
  • You might want to check out the following Straight Dope article about plastics recycling for more insight. I'm also amazed at how much recycling some people generate. In particular, my parents seem to unfailingly fill two bins a week. Meanwhile I, despite a daily cola habit, only put out a full recycling bin every 3 weeks or so. They seem to consume an inordinate number of products contained in huge jugs every week.
  • Julia Sampson is my recycling hero. "Two years ago, she squeezed an entire year's trash into a single 30-gallon bag." [.pdf file, scroll down to page 11 to read more.]