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How to Start Recycling at Home

Recycling involves collecting products that have been thrown away as waste and processing them into new products. Not only does recycling conserve the environment, but it also reduces the cost of getting new products.

Most products used in homes are recyclable. These include paper, metal, glass, and plastic. That said, many materials require factory processing to recycle, but others are simple, and you can recycle them at home.

How can you start recycling at home and make your recycling efforts count? Let’s discuss a few steps you can follow.

Separate Recyclables from Non-Recyclables

Glass and metals are easy to recycle. That means you can recycle them many times without losing their value. But plastic isn’t easy to recycle. Plastics have numbers that indicate how easy it is to recycle them. These numbers appear inside a triangle that looks similar to the recycle symbol. The lower the number, the easier it is to recycle them. So most recyclers will prefer plastics labeled number one.

Make the most of a recycle bin or any reusable container to collect trash at home. Avoid using polythene bags since most aren’t reusable. Plus, use separate recycle bins for different materials. You can put recyclable plastic, cans, and papers in one recycle bin. And place glass in another recycle bin.

Remove Contaminants

To make recycling work easy, you should keep the materials free from contamination. Clean or rinse containers and bottles before putting them in the recycle bin (ensure these bottles don’t have any liquids in them).

Avoid putting broken glass in the recycle bin. These pieces can cause injuries to your recycling team.

Assuming your waste is too contaminated, it may be disposed of as trash. So a good practice is to avoid putting items in the recycle bin if you aren’t sure that they’re recyclable. Never attempt to recycle environmental hazards such as asbestos (a health risk sometimes found in older homes’ insulation) or moldy furniture. In some cases, a professional may need to remove these for you

Non-Recyclable Trash Collection

Not every waste is recyclable. Each state has specific rules of what can and can’t be recycled. But some types of waste are non-recyclable in most places. Adding such waste to recyclables can make recycling work quite a challenge.

Non-recyclable wastes include used coffee filters, plastic utensils like straws, plastic bags, biodegradable plastics, Styrofoam, and aluminum laminates. Once you’ve separated recyclables from no recyclables, you can give them away to a waste management company. This company will collect them from your house. These organizations dispose of non-recyclable trash to the right place and deliver recyclable materials to the right factory for recycling.

Most recycling companies have different policies of what they can recycle. So when you’re not sure, it’s better to consult and work with a waste management company.    

Benefits of Recycling

Recycling creates jobs for workers in the recycling firms. Over 700,000 workers in the U.S work in waste recycling companies. These workers earn wages and pay taxes which contributes to economic growth.

Recycling reduces the amount of waste going to landfills. It helps reduce pollution that degrades land and destroys the home for wildlife.

Recycling helps conserve resources with limited supplies such as metal. As a result, only a few new materials will need extraction. And since recycling requires less energy than processing new materials, the overall factory emission rate will reduce.

Even though recycling has increased over the years, there’s still more that needs doing. Each individual has a responsibility towards the environment. You can play your part by reusing products, recycling them, and buying recycled products. So follow the above tips and start recycling at home today. Doing so helps create a cleaner environment for everyone.

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