So, do you really know what you should be putting into your blue recycling bin?
It’s likely you’re making some mistakes – in part because the county’s list of acceptable materials has changed. For one, your blue recycling bins can’t accept plastic shopping bags, which clog sorting machines. Nor can they accept Styrofoam food or storage trays. Diapers are also a no-no.
So what can you put in your blue bin?
- Plastic bottles and containers
- Aluminum cans
- Steel and tin metal containers
- Glass bottles and jars
- Paper, newspaper, magazines and junk mail
- Flattened cardboard
- Cereal boxes, toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls
- Milk and juice cartons
Everything collected needs to be dry, clean and free of food debris. If an item has food in it, it can’t be recycled.
It is important to note that placing non-program items or soiled recyclables in your cart contributes to contamination that can cause problems including: damaging equipment, creating health and safety hazards for workers, reducing the amount of recyclables that can be successfully recovered and increasing the overall cost of the recycling process.
It just takes one item of contamination to potentially ruin the recyclability of other quality items in a load and prevent the entire load from being successfully recycled. Please help to ensue your recycling efforts and those of your neighbors are not in vain by making sure you only recycle clean, dry and un-bagged program materials in your blue cart. The Hillsborough County Recycling motto is, “leave it out, when in doubt.” You can download a quick cheat sheet for what can and cannot be placed in the blue bin, here: https://ift.tt/3swqGuz.
The good news is that items that are discarded in the trash bin serve their purpose, too. According to the Hillsborough County website, “In Hillsborough County, collected trash is delivered to the County’s Resource Recovery Facility on Falkenburg Road. This waste-to-energy facility burns residential and commercial trash, and the heat is used to generate electricity – enough renewable energy to power 35,000 homes.”
Below we break down options for a few items that cannot be recycled in your blue bin:
Plastic Bags – Publix, Target and Walmart all have bins where you can deposit plastic bags, newspaper sleeves, dry cleaning sleeves, plastic wrap from paper product bundles, and other soft plastics.
Foam Trays – Publix also recycles foam trays and egg cartons but not used Styrofoam take-out containers. Rooms To Go will accept larger pieces of Styrofoam and some mailing places accept packing peanuts.
Cooking Oil and Grease – Don’t throw it down the sink, where it clogs county sewage facilities! The Maureen B. Gauzza Library on Countryway Boulevard is one of the 21 county collection spots for used cooking oil and grease. You can put any cooking or frying oil in a sturdy plastic container and drop it into the collection bin for recycling.
Clothing – Goodwill accepts used clothing, which they sell and the proceeds are used to support employment services for those in the local community. Unsold textiles are baled for sale to recyclers, rather than being trucked to community landfills. There are a number of other charities, like The Spring of Tampa Bay, Hope Children’s Home and ClothesToKids that accept gently used clothing for donation to those in need.
Electronics and Cellphones – Residents should take electronic items to the Waste Transfer Station on Linebaugh Avenue. Just bring your tax bill and some ID. Cellphones can also be recycled at area Lowe’s stores. Small appliances that are in working order can be donated to Goodwill or other area charity organizations.
Household hazardous wastes such as paint, cleaners, or pesticides, and pressurized tanks like fire extinguishers and helium tanks – All of these items can be taken to a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility. One is located at 9805 Sheldon Rd., beside the fire station and county health clinic. It’s open the first Saturday of every month from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Batteries – Single-use household alkaline batteries (AAA, AA, C, and D) can be discarded in your trash bin (not recycling bin). Rechargeable batteries found in cell phones, digital cameras, laptops (limit five per month), hearing aids, watches, and keyless remotes should be taken to a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility, like the one listed above. Each battery must be placed in an individual plastic zip-closed bag for safe transport except for lead-acid batteries. (Note: Single-use batteries will not be accepted at the Waste Collection Facility.) Rechargeable batteries can also be recycled at area Lowe’s stores and the Home Depot located at 16121 N Dale Mabry Hwy.
Light Bulbs – Traditional incandescent bulbs can be discarded in your trash bin (not recycling bin). Compact fluorescent lamps and fluorescent tubes should be recycled at a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility.
By Chris Barrett and Karen Ring
"really" - Google News
January 16, 2021 at 03:42AM
https://ift.tt/3bHreYD
Is That Really Recyclable? - World of Westchase
"really" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3b3YJ3H
https://ift.tt/35qAk7d
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Is That Really Recyclable? - World of Westchase"
Post a Comment