Curbside Recycling – It’s Back to the Basics
by Connie
Wysocki
Curbside recycling rules
for all of Cuyahoga County have recently changed. Local companies that accept recyclables for
processing report that there is significantly more contamination with
“garbage.” In this case, “garbage” is
defined as unacceptable or non-recyclable items in the recycle bags or
bins. When this happens, the entire
truckload of recyclables may have to be rejected and the truckload is then
taken to a local landfill. This defeats
the whole purpose for recycling. The
main culprit here is plastic material that is no longer acceptable for
recycling.
So what are the changes
involved in recycling plastics? First of
all, forget about the “little number in a triangle” on the bottom of plastic
containers – it is no longer relevant.
However, do pay attention to the shape of the container. Plastic bottles and jugs are currently the
only type of plastic material that is acceptable for curbside recycling. A good rule-of-thumb guide to remember is
that the top of the container must be smaller (or narrower) than the bottom of
the container.
The following plastic items are no longer
acceptable for recycling:
· Containers, such as yogurt, butter, cottage cheese,
etc.
· Plastic bags or netted produce bags
· Plastic disposable cups or glasses
· Berry or produce containers
· Flower pots or hanging baskets
· Plastic “blister” or “bubble” packaging
· Styrofoam packaging, cups, or food containers
· Plastic plates, utensils, or hangers
· Cat litter containers and 5-gallon buckets
· Empty motor oil and antifreeze jugs
The following plastic bottle and jug items are
acceptable for recycling:
· Water and pop (soda) bottles
· Shampoo bottles
· Milk, water and juice jugs
· Laundry detergent jugs
· Bleach bottles
Bottles and jugs should be
emptied and rinsed, and the cap replaced.
Current rules for the
curbside recycling program in Strongsville:
· CANS – all food and beverage cans; empty and rinse
· CARTONS – milk, juice, and broth cartons; empty, rinse, and
replace cap
· GLASS
BOTTLES and JARS – empty, rinse, and
replace cap
· PAPER and
BOXES – include all paper, mail,
magazines, newspaper, cereal boxes, and flattened
cardboard. Do not include shredded paper.
· PLASTIC
BOTTLES and JUGS only – empty
and rinse
If you shred various
documents at home, the shredded paper may be recycled (but not in the curbside
recycling program). First and foremost,
the shredded paper must be bagged.
It can then be recycled by taking it to any of the large green River
Valley paper recycling bins located in Strongsville. The bins are located in the parking lot of
the Strongsville Emergency Food Bank (behind the Communications and Technology
Building, 13213 Pearl Rd. and near the library), at the Strongsville Municipal Building (16099
Foltz Pkwy.), at the fire stations, and at Surrarer Park
The City of Strongsville website
(www.strongsville.org)
gives the following information regarding the curbside recycling program:
“Combine
cans, cartons, glass, paper, flattened boxes, and plastic bottles and jugs in
blue recycling bags and place them at the curb on your regular trash collection
day. Blue bags can be purchased at many
stores where trash bags are sold. Or you may use blue grocery store bags.
Recycling
contamination, which happens when well-intentioned recyclers mistakenly put the
wrong items into their recycling, is a problem nation-wide and can wreak havoc
on the recycling process in Cuyahoga County and around the world.”
If you are interested in
learning about organizations that are willing to accept donations of all sorts
of usable items, the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District has produced an
excellent resource booklet. It is called
“Pass It On” and is a “resource-full guide to donating usable
stuff.” To request a free copy, contact
them at www.cuyahogarecycles.org
or call 216-443-3749. This is also an
excellent website to learn more about recycling and/or proper disposal of many
items that are not a part of the curbside recycling program.
Recycling
matters – but please recycle properly!
