Here’s How to Keep Your Recyclables from Ending up in a Landfill

Posted on November 20, 2018
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI

Every day, people all over the world recycle plastic, paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, and glass. Not only can these items be repurposed for future use but the practice of recycling helps reduce our dependence on landfills.

However, if an item is wet or soiled with any kind of food, it cannot be recycled and it runs the risk of contaminating other items you hoped to recycle.

To help cut down on contaminants in local recyclables and to keep them from winding up in a landfill, Knox Mayor Dennis Estok has shared some vital information from Republic Services.

Representatives of the waste management company say to keep these three words in mind when recycling; empty, clean and dry.

Be sure that all containers are completely empty by dumping out excess liquid or food. Next, rinse out the items that can be exposed to water such as glass, plastic and aluminum. Lastly, check that all materials are absolutely dry before they make it into your container.

Residents should also be aware of what items are permissible. For instance, a lot of people don’t realize that plastic bags are not recyclable. Rather than putting your items in a bag, residents are encouraged to place them directly in their recycling bin.

Other items such as bubble wrap, pizza boxes, waxed cartons and Styrofoam cups and containers should never be placed in recycling. You can find more specific rules that Republic Services has in their Recycling Guide.

NJ Clerk-Treasurer Discusses Contaminated Recyclables and the Threat they Pose

Posted on June 28, 2018
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI

In a meeting between North Judson Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe and Republic Services Municipal Account Executive Pete Callan, the two discussed a recent change to recycling procedures that is having a major impact locally and across the country. Rowe told town council members last Monday that Republic Services, as well as many trash collection agencies, have been exporting much of their recyclable material to China for years.

However, he said China recently shifted the amount of contaminated material they’ll accept from 3 percent to .5 percent and it’s resulted in a lot of the material being returned to the States with no place to go.

Rowe explained, “Even a little bit of something organic or any food in with something you recycle can contaminate everything,” he went elaborated, “and that means a block of something that they’ve compressed and sent over immediately gets rejected and sent back.”

Rowe noted that if nothing is done to cut down on the contamination of recyclables, Republic Services could have to discontinue the program locally due to the loss in revenue.

He mentioned that Callan plans to appear before the council in a future meeting to go over ways that officials and residents can work together to improve recycling practices.

Some ways that residents can actively help cut down on contamination is by rinsing and drying cans, bottles and other items thoroughly before placing them in recycling bins. Always be sure that containers are completely empty before recycling them.

It also helps to separate recyclable items by material to help cut down on cross contamination. For instance, collect paper, plastic, aluminum and glass products separately in paper bags and then place each the individual assortment of items in your bin.

Additionally, it’s important to recognize what is and what isn’t recyclable. Certain items such as milk cartons, Styrofoam, bubble wrap, plastic bags and greasy pizza boxes should never be placed in recycling. For more information about specific rules that Republic Services has, check out their Recycling Guide.