We all know that it’s especially hard to recycle and reduce waste during the holidays. Between gift wrap, toy packaging and decorations, the trashcans in my neighborhood are usually filled to the max this time of year. This year, our friends over at the Plastics Make it PossibleSM  campaign this refresher about recycling that will be especially helpful during the holidays. I hope these will help you and your family stay focused on recycling throughout the season!

1.  Get smart. Find out which plastics are accepted for recycling in your community. Today, more than 80 percent of U.S. households have access to a recycling program, and the vast majority of the collect plastic bottles. A bottle is any container with a neck or opening that’s smaller than its base. Include the following wherever plastic bottles are recycled:

• Milk jugs
• Beverage bottles (e.g., water, soft drinks, juice and beer)
• Bottles from shampoo, toiletries, laundry detergent and other
  household cleaners
• Salad dressing, cooking oil and condiment bottles
• Food jars, such as peanut butter and mayonnaise

2.  Remove and rinse. Before tossing bottles in the recycle bin, remove the caps. Be sure to rinse bottles that previously contained food.  (Empty beverage bottles can go straight into the bin.) Unless your community specifically asks for them, bottle caps should be placed in the garbage, not the recycle bin. Similarly, bags should be clean and empty. Do not include plastic food wrap or bags that have food residue.
   
3.  Reuse, reuse, reuse! From wrapping to ribbons, boxes to packing peanuts, gather and save gift wrap and packing materials for next year! And don’t forget bags — there are many helpful ways to reuse plastic bags,

• Wet umbrella cover – keep other items in your bag dry when your umbrella is wet
• Suitcase savers – wrap shoes before packing them with clean clothes
• Hand protectors – place them over your hands to handle messes  indoors and out
• Kitchen clean-up – place them under the cutting board for quick scrap removal
• Trash can liners – use them in bathrooms and other household waste baskets
• Doggie duty – bring them on dog walks to collect and dispose of pet waste

4.  Bring bags back. Most large grocery stores and some retailers (e.g., Wal-Mart) offer plastic bag drop-off programs that allow consumers to return their used bags and product wraps to be recycled. These bins are usually located at the front entrance or near checkout areas.  Almost all kinds of clean plastic bags are accepted for recycling in these programs, including:

• Grocery bags
• Retail bags (remove hard plastic or string handles)
• Plastic newspaper bags
• Dry cleaning bags (remove paper and hangers)
• Bread bags (with crumbs shaken out)

You can also include plastic wraps from products such as paper towels, bathroom tissue, napkins, diapers and cases of soda wherever plastic bags are collected for recycling.
   
5.  Pitch in beyond the kitchen.  While many recyclable bottles come from the kitchen, don’t forget to check the bathrooms and laundry room for shampoo and detergent bottles.
   
6.  Practice patience. On the road this holiday season and can’t find a recycle bin? Don’t throw your empty bottles in the trash–temporarily store them in a purse or briefcase, or simply leave them in the car until arriving home to place in a recycle bin. And don’t forget to temporarily put the cap back on your bottle to prevent leakage until you can properly recycle it.
   
7.  Don’t throw out the leftovers. Saving your lidded plastic food containers and plastic to-go containers from take-out could provide a free and easy way for holiday party guests to carry home leftovers. Plus, they can keep these items and reuse them again.
   
8.  Check for containers. In addition to bottles, roughly one-third of communities are collecting and recycling plastic containers, such as yogurt cups, tubs, trays and lids. If you’re only recycling bottles, check to see if your community is one of the many areas that has recently added food containers to its list of collectibles.
   
9.  When in doubt, leave it out.  Keep in mind that mixing the wrong types of materials (even other plastics) can lower the quality of the recycled material. So unless your community specifically asks for plastics other than bottles, please put only bottles into the recycling bin. Keep these items out of the recycle bin unless you community specifically accepts them:

•  No plastic bags or wraps (take them to your grocery store, if
  accepted)
• No automotive, pesticide or solvent bottles
• No lids or spray pumps
• No toys
• No trays, tubs or containers (unless your community accepts them;
  more and more communities are recycling these types of containers
  in addition to bottles, so it’s worth checking.)  

10. Adopt a second life mindset.  Do you ever wonder where your recyclables go? Keep in mind that today’s water bottle could be tomorrow’s little black dress or carpeting or backyard deck.
For more information, check out http://www.plasticsmakeitpossible.com/

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Tags: California Recycling, Plastic Bag Recycling, Plastic Recycling, Reducing Waste

This entry was posted on Monday, December 21st, 2009 at 11:30 am and is filed under Plastics Recycling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.