Can you chuck your yogurt carton into the recycling bin?

05.03.2007

The Bite:
It depends on your recycling program. Figuring out exactly what's recyclable can be harder than navigating the shoe section during clearance season, but our cheat-sheet makes at least one of these tasks a whole lot easier.
The Benefits: 
  • Less confusion. Proper disposal ensures that your recyclables end up in the right place.
  • Save energy. Recycling an aluminum can takes 96% less energy than creating a new one.
  • Less landfill. According to the EPA, 75% of Americans' trash can be recycled, but only 25% actually is.
  • Cleaner groundwater. Most landfill liners are just 1/10th of an inch thick, so toxins from garbage often leak into the groundwater.
Personally Speaking: 
Bozeman Biters are lamenting that the city just stopped recycling glass due to the expense of shipping it to a recycling facility. Need to kvetch or create an action plan to green up your town's recycling options? Join the discussion in today's blog.
Wanna Try: 
General
  • Earth911 - local listings of where you can recycle anything under the sun.
  • You don't need to remove labels from cans and bottles, but you do need to remove plastic caps (and throw them away).
  • Your recyclables don't need to be spotless - just not moldy or full of food. Save water - don't rinse 'til clean.
Glass
  • Unbroken bottles are easier for workers to sort than broken ones.
Metal 
  • Most containers, such as tins and cans, and aluminum foil.
Paper
  • Newspapers, magazines, photocopies, shoe boxes, envelopes (including ones with glassine windows).
Plastic
  • Plastics #1-#2 – recyclable in most areas. Usually found in 2-liter and detergent bottles, milk jugs and food containers.
  • Plastics #3-#7 – more difficult to recycle, they are found in Styrofoam, pipes, shrink wrap, padded envelopes, trash liners and more. Check with your local facility to see if it recycles these plastics.
  • Yogurt Cups - recyclable in most areas, especially the #2 plastic kind.
  • Grocery Bags - reuse them first! You usually can't recycle them curbside, but some supermarkets have recycling bins in-store. Try to avoid them altogether by bringing your own Biter bag to the store.

Laura Dicterow and Kim Hamer

Cocktail Fact

Apparently not recyclable: when the U.S. Forest Service's mascot, Woodsy Owl, got an extreme makeover, it required old costumes "be destroyed beyond recognition."

Bang For The Bite

Recycling's one of the eco-friendliest things you can do with already-purchased containers, and it's easy once you learn the ropes.

Bookmark and Share

Tips Like This

Bozeman Biters are lamenting that the city just stopped recycling glass due to the expense of shipping it to a recycling facility. It is an evident fact! Buy thesis
in fact,to say nothing more on this subject, but still would like to thank for sharing respects Dear Admin, I thank you for this informative article. And I thank you for this I follow your vendors. It’s verry good. I wish you continued success
almanya sohbet fransa sohbet such a system chat for Calendar yonja Mark to say muhabbet something sohbet very much like sohbet odaları the system already kizlarla sohbet thanks want my bedava sohbet respect Ibedava chat offer my sohbet siteleri channel chat siteleri AdminS.sohbet sohbet yonja bedava chat bedava chat Ne MuTLu TürKüm DiYeNe
Bozeman Biters are lamenting that the city just stopped recycling glass due to the expense of shipping it to a recycling facility. It is an evident fact adventure games ubuntu free online games games
shmoomie, you've convinceded hardy ed hardy clothing ralph lauren polo juicy couture mewith this scientific clarification. Good stuff. shmoomie ,

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <font> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <p> <br> <img>

More information about formatting options

 

All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.