Top 10 recycling tips for Homeowners

Tips on how recycling can be made easy

When most people think about recycling, the first things that come to mind are aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and newspapers. But many different materials can be recycled, from glass to metal to textiles. And recycling these materials not only helps the environment by keeping them out of landfills, but it can also save you money on your trash bills. Here are ten great recycling tips for homeowners if you’re looking for ways to reduce your environmental impact and trash bill.

Shop smart

Many products marketed as “green” or “Eco-friendly” are designed to be easier to recycle. As a result, you can feel good about reducing your environmental impact even further when you buy them. Another way to shop smart is to consider the durability of a product before purchasing it. If something will last for many years, there’s less need to replace it often, which means fewer products are winding up in landfills.

Recycle correctly

Recycling only works if it’s done correctly. Improperly recycled materials can contaminate entire batches of recyclable materials, making them difficult or impossible to process. It would help if you sorted out food waste, such as unconsumed food or food scraps, paper waste or boxes, like pizza boxes, and plastics, like bread bags. So it’s important to recycle correctly.

When items are recycled properly, it helps reduce the amount of waste in landfills and incinerators. This reduces the amount of pollution that is released into the air and water, which can have harmful effects on both people and animals.

Create a recycling scheme

The recycling process begins with sorting. First, all recyclable materials are sorted into designated bins based on their material type. The material is then cleaned and compacted into bales or pellets. The recycled materials are then sold to manufacturers who use them to create new products.

Creating a recycling scheme can help your community divert valuable resources from our ever-growing landfills while conserving energy and reducing pollution. It’s a win-win for everyone.

See recycling as a resource

Materials that are recycled become resources for new manufacturing products. For example, recycled paper can manufacture new paper products, cardboard boxes, tissue paper, and more. Recycled plastic can manufacture park benches, decking boards, fencing, and more. By recycling materials instead of sending them to landfills or incinerators, we are reducing our reliance on non-renewable resources and helping to preserve our environment for future generations.

Buy products that can be recycled

When you buy products that can be recycled, it makes it easier for the recycling process to take place. For example, when you purchase a product with a container made of a recyclable plastic or glass jars, you’re making it possible for the recycling plant to recycle that particular product more easily. Therefore, it’s essential to consider buying products made of recycled materials whenever possible to help reduce the amount of waste going into landfills.

Make an audit of recyclable materials at home

Identifying recyclable items around the house makes it easy to recycle them when you have a full bin. In addition, this reduces the chances of your recyclables being thrown away or incinerated because they can’t be processed at the local recycling center. So, by taking a few extra seconds to identify whether or not an item can be recycled, you’re helping make recycling easier.

Know how to recycle aerosol cans

Recycling aerosol cans is essential because they are made of aluminum, a valuable resource. Recycling aluminum saves 95% of the energy needed to create new aluminum from scratch and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. So by recycling aerosol cans, we can help conserve resources and protect the environment.

More bins, more items

One way to increase recycling rates is to provide more bins for people to use. People are more likely to recycle if there are more places to recycle. Another way to increase recycling rates is by making it easier for people to recycle. For example, some cities now have curbside pickup for recyclable materials, making it easier for people to recycle than taking their recyclables to a recycling center.

Keep recyclables loose

Yes, please keep recyclables loose. When recyclables are bagged or placed in tight containers, it is difficult for the machines that separate them to do their job correctly. Workers also have to spend more time handling and sorting recyclables, which can be a safety hazard. So please help out by keeping your recyclables loose.

Small things count

Small things do count when it comes to recycling! Every bit helps, and even if you can’t commit to doing a lot, every bit counts even a small act of posting reminders about recycling using your mobile phone counts.

Some easy ways to recycle on a smaller scale include recycling your plastic bags at the grocery store, recycling your paper products such as shredded paper or office paper, and recycling your glass bottles and jars. You can also recycle things like aluminum cans and steel cans.

FAQs

Should aluminum cans be crushed before recycling them?

Recycling aluminum cans is an easy way to help the environment and conserve resources. The cans can be recycled into new cans or other products made from aluminum.

The best way to recycle aluminum cans is to crush them before putting them in the recycling bin. This makes it easier for the recycler to sort and process the cans. It also takes up less space in the recycling container.

What should I do with the paint?

If you’re wondering what to do with old paint when recycling it, the best thing to do is check with your local municipality. In some cases, they may have a program where they will collect used or leftover paint and recycle it. If there’s no such program in your area, you can try contacting local hardware stores or home improvement centres, as they may be interested in taking the paint off your hands. You could also try posting an ad online or on a community bulletin board to find someone who might want it. Just take precautions before giving away any unused paint, like making sure the container is labeled correctly and that there’s no lead paint involved.

What should I do with burnt-out light bulbs?

If you have a burnt-out light bulb, it’s best to recycle it. Many municipalities have recycling programs for light bulbs, and most hardware stores and home improvement centers will also recycle them.

Just be sure to remove the metal base from the glass globe before recycling, as the metal can contaminate the glass and make it difficult to recycle. The metal base can be disposed of in your regular trash.

What do the symbols on the bottom of plastic bottles and containers mean?

The symbols on the bottom of plastic bottles and containers indicate the type of plastic the container is made of. This code was created by the Society of Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI) in 1988 to help recyclers identify which plastics they could recycle. There are seven types of codes, which are listed below from most recyclable to least recyclable.

#1 PETE or PET: Polyethylene terephthalate

A type of polyester plastic. It is made from the monomers terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol, which are reacted together in the presence of a catalyst to form polyethylene terephthalate. PET is commonly used to make beverage bottles, food containers, and clothing fibers. The recycling symbol for PET is #1.

#2 HDPE: High-Density Polyethylene

A type of plastic commonly used in manufacturing food containers, grocery bags, and other packaging materials. It is durable, lightweight, and tear-resistant, making it an ideal material for these applications.

#3 PVC: Polyvinyl chloride

A type of plastic made from vinyl chloride. It is durable, versatile, and inexpensive, making it a popular choice for various applications, including construction materials, piping, and medical tubing.

#4 LDPE: Low-density polyethylene

A type of polyethylene made with traditional low-pressure methods, meaning it has lower density and is less stiff than other polyethylene. It is generally used for films and packaging and can be recycled into products such as garbage bags, grocery bags, and food storage containers.

#5 PP: Polypropylene

A type of plastic made from petroleum. It’s strong, versatile, and relatively inexpensive to produce, making it a popular choice for everything from water bottles to packaging materials. However, because it’s made from oil, polypropylene is far from environmentally friendly and can take hundreds of years to decompose.

#6 PS: Polystyrene

A type of plastic made from petrochemical styrene. It’s used to make foam cups, take-out containers, and other packaging materials.

#7 Other plastics

Stands for other plastics, which are not typically recyclable through curbside recycling programs. This type of plastic can be recycled, but it requires special processing facilities that are not available in all locations.

Conclusion

While some of these tips may seem common sense, it’s easy to forget the little things we can do to impact our environment significantly. So we hope you will find at least one or two ideas you can start implementing today to help reduce landfill waste. And if you want more ways to lessen your environmental impact, check out our other blog posts on the subject.