Basic Recycling Tips to Get You StartedWe'll concentrate on basic household recycling tips in this section, which includes
glass,
plastic,
newspaper, cardboard,
steel and aluminum cans.
Most communities in the United States make this type of recycling fairly easy through recycling centers, charity donations, and so on. It varies widely in how you actually get your recyclables to the plant, but it's usually pretty straight forward and easy for you to do. First we will discuss methods of getting your recyclables to the facility. For more recycling tips on individual products click on the links to go to that page.
Curbside Pick-UpIn curbside pick-up you sort your trash from the recyclables. They go out to the curb the same as trash for pick-up, usually in a plastic bin. Sometimes it is the same day as trash pick-up, sometimes not. With this type of service the bin will normally be supplied by the hauler. The hauler is usually pretty specific on what can and cannot be recycled, but usually they accept household items like glass, plastic, paper and cans. A good place to check is your local yellow pages. This is the easiest method because it doesn't require you to transport your recyclables.
Bottle Deposit LawsSome states, like Michigan, have deposit laws. When you buy a beverage you pay a deposit on the bottle. When you consume the beverage and return the bottle you get your deposit back.I’ll tell you about Michigan’s law since I live here and I’m familiar with it. Michigan's law only covers carbonated beverages. At the time the law was passed, individual water and juice bottle sales were virtually unheard of. If you see bottle litter in Michigan, 9 times out of ten it will be a water or juice bottle. Beer and soda cans are promptly picked up and returned for the dime by smart people who listen to amazing recycling tips...and don't mind picking up money from the side of the road. Bottle deposit laws are “forced” recycling. I’m not for or against them, they are just another type of recycling that you should be aware of, as more states are considering them.
Recycling CentersAhhh, recycling centers and scrap yards. There are two main types; mobile drop off points, and warehouse-industrial park centers.In Benzie county we have mobile centers. These are giant dumpsters that are divided by product. Paper and cardboard go in one section, cans and plastic in another, and glass in the third bin. The bins are scattered around the county in sets of three so you can drop all recyclables at one stop. This method works really well in rural areas. The waste haulers trade out the dumpsters as needed. Another type of recycling center is located in a warehouse type building, usually in an industrial park. They may take several types of recyclables or specialize in one type of product such as a scrap yard that buys metal. When I first started recycling back in the 1980’s this was the only outlet available in my location. Glass went to one industrial park location, paper to a location across town, and metal to yet another location. It was a lot of work, but we were paid by the pound and that seemed to make it worth while.
Recycling Tips For Larger QuantitiesIf you have large quantities of recyclables you might want to find a way to sell it. This usually involves checking your local yellow page ads under “Recycling Centers & Services”, or “Scrap Metals” and giving them a call. Nearly every town will have scrap metal recycling facilities and larger towns will have several. Finding an outlet for large quantities of paper and cardboard, glass and plastic will require a facility that is apt to be located in a large city. Most smaller towns and cities cannot support this type of facility. Recycling tips for scrap metal will be coming soon in the Outlets page. Charitable Fund RaisersThere are three types that are common in my area. They are: the aluminum can drive, the aluminum pull tab drive, and the paper / cardboard recycling trailer.The Boy Scouts have been doing can drives for years. Our 4-H club and the Academy my children attend take charity donations via returnable cans. Can drives are a great fund raiser in Michigan for two reasons. 1. It is easier for people to have their cans picked up by a fund raiser than to have to take them back to the retailer, which can be a pain. 2. Every can is worth a dime, so your fund raiser can make a nice tidy sum in a hurry. The pull tab drive is a variation on this theme. You pull the tab off and save it, take the can back for the dime and then give the tabs to the organization as a charity donation which they convert to cash. I have honestly never participated in this one, but know lots of people who save tabs. The last recycling tip is commonly used as a school project. A semi tractor trailer with steps, or a small building, is set up and donations of clean paper and cardboard are solicited. Different groups of students take turns keeping the area tidy and everyone gets to share in the loot at the end of the year. This works especially well if other disposal methods are not available.
Why Recycle?One of my most important recycling tips to get you motivated: visit your local landfill. This will give you the biggest reason why you should recycle. The amount of trash that we generate is mind boggling. As our population increases, we need more land to build on. We also need more land to build landfills on. If each one of us could eliminate one bag of trash per month it would be phenomenal.If the warm fuzzy feeling isn't enough, consider this: it is expensive to dispose of trash. Every item you recycle is an item you aren't paying to dispose of. In our area it is easy to judge savings from recycling. We pay by the bag for trash pick-up. There are other methods available, but this one makes the most sense for those who recycle. Bags cost $2.50 each: we buy them at the grocery, fill them and set them out on garbage day for pick-up. As a family of four we normally have 1 bag every week and about once every 5 weeks, not enough for a full bag and so we skip that weeks pick-up. I could probably get that down to 1 bag every other week if I were super diligent and played recycle police with the children. But as I have said before, "pick your battles". Have fun, and start saving money. See Below For More Great Recycling TipsClick here for more information on recycling glass
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