Have You Put These Non-Recyclable Things into the Recycle Bin?

If you are not sure whether an item can be recycled, it is important to study the answer to this question, rather than simply throw it in the recycling bin. If an item is not recyclable, throwing it into the recycling bin will contaminate other recyclable items. The entire contaminated recyclable garbage can will eventually be thrown into the landfill because of this small error. Reverse recycling vending machine supplier shares with you.

The only way to prevent this problem is to know which items cannot be recycled. Here are some of the most common household items that end up contaminate recycling bins:

Disposable coffee cup

Many people throw disposable coffee cups into the recycling bin every day, but these things actually belong to the trash can. Most recycling facilities cannot handle the polyethylene liner on disposable coffee cups. Therefore, these cups are usually sent to landfills instead of recycling centers. However, the recycling center in your community may dispose of the plastic lids used on disposable coffee cups, even if they do not handle actual cups.

Greasy takeaway container

Restaurants usually place takeaway food in transparent plastic containers that are easy to transport and store. These containers are made of recyclable plastic, but this does not mean that it is safe to put them in a recycling bin. If the plastic container of your take-out food still has residues, then it cannot be recycled in most facilities. Make sure your takeaway containers are free of other recyclables that contaminate you. Rinse them before throwing them into the recycling bin. Containers do not need to be spotless to be processed, so there is no need to spend a lot of time cleaning them. Quick rinsing can remove food debris and debris and prevent these containers from being recycled.

Plastic straw

It is estimated that Americans use more than 500 million plastic straws every day. Plastic straws are usually made of polypropylene, which is a type of plastic that can also be used to make yogurt buckets, plastic utensils, and toothbrushes. Even if this material is highly recyclable, most recycling facilities will not accept plastic straws. This is mainly because of the size of the plastic straw. The machines used by recycling facilities to sort and process recyclables are not designed to handle small items. Therefore, small plastic items such as bottle caps and straws are sent to the landfill.

Plastic bag

Many people were surprised to learn that plastic shopping bags cannot be recycled, but this is a fact. Although these plastic bags are made of plastic, they are difficult to process and often block machines in recycling facilities. Therefore, most roadside projects do not accept plastic bags. There are facilities dedicated to handling plastic bags, but these facilities are not related to the roadside recycling program. If you want to ensure your plastic bags are recycled, locate a special facility near you so you can schedule a drop-off.

This is just a small sample of non-recyclable items that are often sent to recycling centers. Make sure you pay close attention to everything you put in the recycling bin so that you don’t accidentally send anything that may contaminate other recyclable materials. Our company provides intelligent recycling machine.