Every ton of recycled paper saves 17 12-metre Douglas Fir trees.
Up to 90% of recycled glass can be reused to make new glass items, such as bottles and jars.
Every glass bottle recycled saves enough energy for a 100 watt light bulb to be lit for 4 hours.
Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run your TV for 3 hours.
43 recycled bottles can make 1 m2 of carpet.
Recycling a 1-gallon (3.79L) plastic milk jug will save enough energy to keep a 100-watt bulb burning for 11 hours.
Tips on recycling various home waste materials -
paper & cardboard
- newspapers should be saved in its own bin, as this material goes directly back into newsprint recycling. Recycling a 1.2m stack of newspapers saves the equivalent of one 12-metre fir tree.
- magazines, glossy printed flyers or newspaper inserts, phone books, envelopes, computer paper, old letters, and paper packaging can be saved together in one bin.
- Staples in paper are acceptable, but remove rubber bands or plastic wrap.
- Do not include the following in your paper recycling: carbon paper, stickers, cardboard, laminated paper, laminated cardboard.
- plastic-lined paper drink cartons are recyclable. Most recycling centers now accept these items; ask locally.
- Discard fast food wrappers made from plastic, dirty or food-stained paper tissues or napkins.
- corrugated cardboard is a highly valued recyclable. Most curbside collectors ask you to bale the cardboard together and tie it with string. Check to see if there are size and weight limits to how much you are allowed to bale together. The most important thing to remember is to keep it dry. Plastic or waxy coated, and wet or greasy cardboard, such as pizza boxes, cannot be recycled because it clogs sorting machines.
plastics
- plastic goods are assigned different numbers to grade them for recycling:
#1 (PET) and #2 (HDPE) for containers, #4 (LDPE) for bags, #7 for mixed plastics that are not recyclable.
- plastic bottles are usually made of #1 PET plastic, a valuable recyclable material. Among many other items, this plastic can be "spun' into fleece fabric. Tops should be removed before recycling, and put in with your general plastic items.
- because it is difficult to clean PET plastic without releasing harmful chemicals, bottles made of PET should not be reused.
- plastic grocery bags - most grocery bags are made of high density polyethylene, a Type 2 recyclable plastic. Most grocery stores have bins outside so customers can drop off used plastic bags for recycling.
- polystyrene (#6) (cups, food trays, egg cartons, etc) is not biodegradable. Try reduce your use of this material.
- polypropylene (#5) is one of the least recyclable plastics. Considered one of the safest plastics, #5 plastic is used for packaging items such as yogurt, cottage cheese, margarine and vitamins, and is contained in food wraps and bottle tops. It is one of the least expensive plastics to make. However, the process of recycling plastic #5 is less efficient than other plastics, and the end result has little market value.
• Choose products packaged with plastic #2 (HDPE). Many companies, especially those selling organic food, have switched to plastic #2, a better (but more expensive) alternative.
• Find out if your community has an All Plastics Recycling program which accepts plastic #5.
• Set aside your plastic #5 containers for reuse.
glass
- glass is recycled according to color: clear, green and brown. If possible separated them this way.
- paper labels can be left on the glass.
- store lightbulbs, sheet glass, mirrors and pyrex separately from bottles, since they have a different composition.
- compact flourescent lightbulbs (CFLs) may be recycled at your local Ryness store.
aluminum, steel & copper
- food cans should be rinsed and have lids and labels removed. It helps if they are flattened, although many new cans are difficult to flatten; they should still be recycled.
- aluminum cans are very valuable as recyclable items. Do not crush aerosol cans.
- aluminum foil and foil packaging are also important to recycle; they are reprocessed into aluminum mechanical components, such as engine parts.
- paint cans, aerosol cans are recyclable, but are considered hazardous waste and need to be kept separate from other metals. It is important to leave labels on these cans, as recyclers need to know the former contents. Try to return the lids along with empty paint cans.
- copper is one of the most recycled and recyclable of metals. In fact, copper is 100% recyclable, as are all its alloys, such as bronze and brass. The recycling of copper requires only 15% of the total energy otherwise consumed in mining, milling, smelting and refining.
computers, printers and hardwares
- Pass it on. The simplest solution to recycling your old computer. Ask at a local school or put a notice on a community bulletin board offering your computer free for the taking. Many people without a computer will still find use with the word processor and basic programs.
rechargeable batteries
- Some high street electronics retailers collect (free of charge!), all old mobile batteries and used rechargeable batteries (as in electronic/electrical appliances) for recycling.
- In most boroughs you can take car batteries to a local Reuse and Recycling Centre. In some parts of London they can be collected as part of the kerbside collection.
- If you can’t recycle batteries, consider doing the following before you buy:
• Use mains electricity where possible
• Use rechargeable batteries and a battery charger. The energy needed to make batteries is 50 times greater than the energy they give out.
• Send batteries back to manufacturers, where such a scheme is available, or set up a scheme with your local supplier if possible
clothes & textile
- Many recycling banks are operated by charities, such as Oxfam and Scope and they empty the textile banks and sort the clothes and textiles. Wearable clothes and shoes are then distributed through their network of charity shops or sent overseas to those in need.
Those clothes and textiles that cannot be worn or used again can be sold for other uses such as for padding and stuffing in loudspeaker cones and furniture. Some are made into wiping cloths for industrial use and some woollen yarns and fibres can be reprocessed and made into fibre for new garments.
- Soiled/stained clothing or carpets cannot be recycled.
- Shoes can also be recycled. Some boroughs have recycling banks just for shoes - tie shoes up to keep them in pairs.
- As well as recycling unwanted clothing, don't forget to recycle other textiles such as towels, sheets, bedding and blankets, and even soft furnishings, like cushion covers.
Information from some of the following websites.
Some further readings -
recycle for london -
http://recycleforlondon.com
save the hussles at home and let tesco work for you (UK) -
http://www.mrw.co.uk/page.cfm/action=Archive/ArchiveID=10/EntryID=5277
how to set up a home recycling system (USA) -
http://www.wikihow.com/Set-Up-a-Home-Recycling-System
check with your local councils to see what could be recycled & how (UK) -
http://www.uk-energy-saving.com/local_recycling.html
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