Trash. I’ve written a lot about it the past two months, and now I do it again. In July I addressed how we need to change to cradle-to-cradle thinking in our shopping habits. August looked at food waste and the need to minimize waste and the importance of composting. For September, I’ll be talking about recycling, why it is important and how to do it properly.
We Can Recycle 90% of our Waste
According to the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority (HRRA), who deals with most things trash related in our part of the state, in a typical household, 90% of what goes in the trash receptacle can actually be recycled in one way or another. Our trash in Connecticut goes to one of the two waste-to-energy plants in the state, which burns the trash to produce electricity. While that may sound like a win-win, there are still some big problems. First, even with filters, the burning still produces emissions which contribute to climate change. Secondly, after burning, about 10% of the trash remains as ash. That ash is usually sent to landfills, but it has been shown to leach into the groundwater if the appropriate type of landfill is not used. Third, potentially reusable materials are lost in the burning process. Recycling will capture many of those reusable materials. Think of it, it takes 95% LESS energy to recycle aluminum for reuse than it does to mine the bauxite from which aluminum is extracted. Recycling aluminum limits environmental damage and saves money.
We have single stream recycling here in Connecticut which means that all of your recycling can go into the same container for pick-up. It is then transported to a Material Recycling Facility (MRF) where a combination of people, infrared technology, electro-magnets, and screens, sort out the materials and get them ready for transport. Materials that are captured for reuse are glass and metals which can be recycled endlessly, and cardboard and paper which can only be recycled a limited number of times but is biodegradable at the end point. Some plastics can be recycled, though most cannot.
Pay Attention to What You Recycle
Some rules for recycling properly, whether you have it picked up or take it to a transfer station. Only put in materials that they take. For example, fast food plastic cups are okay for recycling, but the lids and straws are not. Make sure items are clean of food and debris. This will cut down on the smell and the chance of insects and other vermin in your containers and at recycling centers and MRFs. Ignore the racing arrows recycling symbol with a number found on plastics. They don’t mean anything anymore. Make sure everything is dry when you put it in the container. Wetness damages paper and cardboard in a way that makes them un-recyclable. Glass does not go into the recycle bin for safety reasons. It must be taken to the glass drop off in your town. Plastic bags do not go into your recycling bin but can be taken to most grocery stores. If you have a service that picks up your recycling, you can access the information on what can and cannot be recycled at Recycling Guide. If you take your recycling to a transfer station, pay attention to the signage and the employees for what can be taken and where it goes.
There are other things that can be recycled, and I encourage you to visit https://hrra.org/ for information about recycling, when and where Hazardous Waste Days are occurring, information on your specific town, and information on recycling things beyond the usual metals and paper.
And while recycling is important and necessary, the three arrows in the recycling symbol stand for REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE. With that in mind, we must all consider how much we really need, determine how to reuse what we have, and recycle as much as possible.
