While you may have good intentions when it comes to recycling, putting contaminated or incorrect items in the recycling bin can do more harm than good.
Chucking a greasy pizza box in with your clean recycling can contaminate the whole waste load and clog up the recycling machinery.
We have compiled a list of the top 8 items people most commonly incorrectly recycle so that you can avoid making the same mistake.
1. Pizza Boxes
Pizzas are topped with oily cheese which can leave greasy stains on the inside of the pizza box. Recycling dirty pizza boxes will contaminate clean recycling so it is important to make sure you are recycling them correctly.
To correctly recycle pizza boxes, cut off the greasy parts of the box, throw them in the bin and recycle the rest.
2. Lids
Most lids can’t be recycled because they are usually made from a plastic material called polypropylene.
Some recycling centres do not accept caps and some places do as long as the cap is firmly screwed on the bottle. Check with your local recycling centre to see what they accept first.
3. Mirrors
Mirrors are hard to recycle due to the coating on the glass used to make it reflective. Recycling mirror glass with regular glass will make the regular glass unusable.
Try donating your mirror instead if it’s in one piece, or if it’s broken, it‘s perfect for craft projects.
4. Needles
Needles and other medical waste should never be recycled because of their risk of disease transmission.
Needles belong in a hazardous waste facility or they should be collected and mailed back using one of many national programs.
5. Glassware
Glassware including old dishes and glasses are not recyclable. They have different melting points than regular glass jars and bottles, and they can contaminate an entire batch of recycled glass.
Instead of recycling glassware, donate any reusable items.
6. Scrap Wood
Wood often is coated in a finishing which cannot be recycled. The chemicals found in wood treatments make it unsafe to burn.
7. Plastic Cutlery
Plastic utensils and some disposable straws contain plastic which cannot be recycled.
Because this material costs a lot to recycle, most recycling companies do not accept any plastic utensils.
8. Plastic Bags
Plastic bags cannot be recycled because the material can tangle and clog up recycling machinery.
It is important to put them in plastic recycling bins unless you know they are acceptable.
Recycling Centre Near Me
If you are looking for the leading environmentally-friendly recycling service in the South West, look no further than Devon Contract Waste.
At Devon Contract Waste, we offer a variety of recycling services from mini skip hire to commercial glass recycling so that you can dispose of all of your waste efficiently and effectively.
If you would like to find out more about the excellent services we offer, contact us here today.