Interesting Facts About Recycling

What is important to know about recycling? Everyone knows it’s good for the environment, but there’s plenty people don’t know about recycling. For example, did you know that it’s best to crush your water bottles before sending them to a recycling center? This can help prevent bottle caps from shooting off all over the place during the recycling process. Read on if you’re interested in learning even more interesting facts about recycling:

• Avoid putting plastic bags in a recycling bin: While you can recycle plastic bags, it’s important to keep them out of the recycling bin. Plastic bags can cause major issues with a recycling facility’s entire system. Instead, find a local drop-off location for plastic bags and other plastic film objects. Many grocery stores actually have plastic bag recycling bins on site. Of course, the best thing you can do for the environment is eliminate the use of plastic bags altogether by switching to reusable bags.
• Recycling glass is more energy efficient: Creating new glass from sand might be cheaper, but it’s less energy efficient. In fact, making glass from scratch often causes almost twice the amount of pollution that recycling glass does. Recycling glass also uses around 30 percent less energy than creating new glass. So, if you’re in the market for glass products, consider recycled glass every time.
• You can’t recycle everything: While it might be tempting to try and recycle everything you can, it’s important to do research before putting a bunch of stuff in the recycling bin and hoping for the best. These days, people are trying to recycle everything, including shower curtains, garden hoses and much more. Though likely done with great intentions, trying to recycle certain objects could result in damage to recycling facility equipment. Here’s a handy list of items you can and can’t recycle.
• Don’t try to recycle plastic utensils: Plastic spoons, forks, knives and other utensils aren’t recyclable. They’re too small and usually made from low-grade plastics that are hard to identify. Since many recycling facilities won’t take plastic utensils, it’s best to avoid them altogether.
• You don’t need to sort everything: It’s a common misconception that you have to sort recyclables based on the material they’re made from. However, in most areas sorting takes place at a material recovery facility. That said, sorting your recyclables can be very helpful if your municipality or recycling services provider recommends you do so.
• It’s possible to recycle materials more than once: Many people assume that after an object has been recycled once, it can’t go through the process again. This is simply not true. Strong materials like metal and glass can be recycled over and over again without losing any quality. That said, plastic does lose its quality over time. However, that just means that recycling center will find another use for those already once-recycled plastic bottles. This might include using the plastic as pellets for clothing or rugs.

Recycling plays an important role in improving the health our planet. That’s why it’s important to know the facts about recycling and dispel any misconceptions you have. If you’re looking for top-quality recycling services, contact the helpful professionals at Klumm Bros. today.

Categorised in: Recycling