Five Do's and Don'ts about Recycling Contamination
Recycling a Smarter Way to Live a Greener Life What is recycling contamination? Recycling contamination occurs when objects and/ or materials that should not be recycled intermingle with recyclable goods during the recycling process. Often, this can cause bins of recyclable products to be thrown away as garbage to avoid more contamination. Why is recycling contamination a problem? Not every plastic, paper, or glass product can be recycled. Mixing recyclable and non-recyclable materials can impede and even stop the recycling process and cause even more waste. What are ways to avoid recycling contamination? Five "do's and don'ts" for recycling contamination are: 1) Break down and separate all recyclables : Break-down and fold all boxes and separate paper, cardboard, glass, and plastic materials to make sure that all products are recyclable. 2) Empty out glasses and containers : Leftover food residue is a major cause of recycling contamination. Before recycli...