Relearning Recycling
By Sarah Houle
Recycling is something that you probably learned about in elementary school in really simple terms. But when was the last time you relearned what you already knew about recycling in more depth? For a long while, I let the idea of keeping the planet healthy fall to the back of my mind. The drama of middle school, the stress of high school, and the adjustment to college were all at the forefront of my mind, and I started to become ignorant of how much my daily habits could be impacting the planet. During the transition to a Covid semester, I really began to realize how much unintentional (and often unavoidable) waste was being produced on campus. From the takeout containers in the dining hall to the single-use masks, it made me sad to look at how much environmental progress was being reversed by the health crisis.
So, although Covid has made it really difficult to eliminate waste production entirely, we can at least do our best to dispose of things properly to help the planet as best as we can! Recycling is really important in saving resources and reducing environmental damage, but here are some tips to keep in mind when doing so.
Clean before recycling
A big reason why some objects cannot be recycled is that they were not properly cleaned out before they were recycled. Make sure your materials are cleaned and dry before recycling to ensure they make it all the way through the recycling process.
Recycle glass (jars & bottles, not kitchen glassware)
Glass is accepted in most areas as a recycled material and can be very beneficial to the environment when recycled. However, only certain types of glass can be recycled, including glass bottles and jars. Kitchen glassware such as wine glasses and glass plates cannot be recycled, so be mindful when disposing.
Make money by recycling your cans!
Aluminum cans (soda/seltzer/beer cans) can be recycled in all states, and some states even pay you for doing so. Check for local locations that collect aluminum cans and you can receive money back when you do!
Never recycle plastic grocery bags
This is a big one; plastic grocery bags cannot be recycled! If you picture the all too familiar image of a sea turtle with a plastic bag tangled around its neck, you can see that these products are easily tangled around things and can cause major issues in recycling plants. Try to reuse these bags within your own house instead and even try to avoid getting them entirely by using reusable bags when grocery shopping.
Plastics are not created equally
There are a ton of different types of plastics in the world, many of which have differing recycling etiquettes. Check labels on plastic objects to see if/how they can be recycled! See the image provided for a quick guide on recycling symbols in the U.S.
(Picture source: https://cdn.simplegreen.com/images/news_media/recycling/recycling_codes.jpg)
Don’t just guess!
There is SO much for us all to learn about recycling, and nobody is perfect by any means. It is super important not to guess when recycling is allowed or else large batches of recycled materials can be contaminated by certain objects and discarded entirely. A quick search on the internet will tell you how to dispose of materials properly. Continue to educate yourself on the importance of recycling so that we can all do our part to help the planet. <3
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