Friday Fix: Recycling Right!

Big changes happen one step at a time. To help you take steps towards a more environmentally enlightened life, every Friday I'll feature a quick fix that helps you upgrade a small aspect of your life. I'm not paid to use any of these products, and yes - I really do use them in my everyday life!

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We're talking recycling today, folks - probably the first rung on the sustainability ladder. Even if you're a complete newbie to sustainability, chances are good that you've tossed an empty soda can or paper cup into the recycling bin. Just doing my bit.

But not all recyclable materials get processed. Food contamination and the addition of non-recyclable materials means that a lot of recycling still ends up in the landfill, or worse yet - gets incinerated.

Recycling is an easy, accessible step towards sustainability - but it only works if we engage with the practice properly. Fear not! Below are a few steps you can take to ensuring that your recycling counts. Start with these, and you'll be on your way to ensuring that your recycling actually ends up where you want it - at the processing center!

1. Remember the first two 'R's.

Recycling is only one part in the triad of 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle'. The best place to have an impact is by reducing the packaging that you use, and attempting to reuse whatever you can. Ideally, recycling will be the last resort to handling everything you can't reduce or reuse.

2. Understand your role in the system.

Recycling is a necessary step in the global supply chain, but guess what - you aren't a recycler. You are a harvester. Adam Minter, in an interview on Fresh Air, encapsulated it nicely: "Your recycling is not an environmental good, it's a commodity. Household recycling...is harvesting. You're harvesting material for the people that actually do the recycling." This means that in order for the recyclers to do their job well, you need to ensure that you give them clean, sorted materials to use.

3. Rinse out your recycling before tossing it in the bin.

Believe it or not, food waste is a contaminant that keeps your recycling from being processed. Rinse out empty food containers before throwing them into the bin to ensure they get processed.

4. Speaking of food - greasy pizza boxes can't be recycled either.

5. Plastic shopping bags can't be recycled. Sorry.

The best option is to not use plastic bags at all (you knew I'd say that, didn't you?). But if you do use them, remember that they can't be recycled - they have to go straight into the trash.

6. Mixed material gets tricky.

Lined paper products like coffee cups and almond milk containers contain several types of materials, and not all recycling centers are equipped to process them. Check with your local collector before tossing these in the bin.

This article was updated on 1.2.20