Keeping the Blue Bins Clean

I was surprised to learn recently that I have been making some pretty serious recycling errors over the years by failing to clean my recyclables before putting them into the city-provided blue bins. But, when I started asking my friends what they know about blue bin dos and don’ts, I quickly realized I was not the only one messing things up at the recycling plant.

It is amazing to think about all the effort that has gone into recycling awareness in our country, and yet the lack of any real understanding about how to recycle and dispose of waste properly. I decided to go back to basics and deal with everyday items I’m still not sure what to do with. I’m talking about those pesky milk cartons, pizza boxes, household batteries and compact flourescent lightbulbs.

Case in point: Every battery package contains a warning about things not to do when disposing of batteries (do not place in fire, do not recharge if it is not rechargeable, etc.) and some packages even tell us to “dispose of batteries properly,” but no battery package I have ever seen goes to the trouble of instructing us the proper way to actually dispose of a battery.

Did you know most household batteries are not recyclable? The rule of thumb is, if it is not rechargeable, it is not recyclable. However, there are still ways to properly dispose of single-use batteries. Until recently, although very few people probably know this, the proper way to dispose of a “regular” (single-use) battery has been to seal it along with other used batteries in a ziplock bag (because plastic never biodegrades) and put it in the trash (the plastic will actually protect the groundwater from absorbing toxic battery waste). Think of the irony: plastic bags protecting the earth.

However, today, there are lots of places where you can bring your single-use batteries. You can search for locations in your area right here on 1-800-RECYCLING.com by ZIP code. I did a search for single-use batteries in the Venice, CA, area and there are two facilities within 15 miles from here. That’s a bit of a drive, which will require burning some fossil fuels. But, then a friend told me about the battery drop boxes every Sunday at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Bingo! That’s where I’m taking my used batteries from now on.

Here is another case in point: Recyclable food containers are labeled with a recycle stamp. For years, I took this to mean, “Eat your food, and toss the plastic container into the recycle bin when you’re done.” The box generally has a message saying, “Please Recycle” and that’s what I had been doing. However, the box never told me, “Hey, consumer, make sure to clean that plastic before disposing of it in the recycle bin or it will contaminate the other plastic. Food waste cannot be recycled, ever!”

At food courts and restaurants across the country, there are recycling bins asking for cans and bottles. How come there aren’t rinsing stations so we can clean these items?

It started bugging me when I began to think about all the recyclables that might not be recycled because of food contamination. I started thinking about other little things, like the plastic trashbag liners in most home recycling bins.

At my old apartment, I had three bins: one for trash, one for recycling and one for fruit and vegetable waste. I did not do my own composting, but I did have a green bin outside and would dispose of my fruit and veggie waste there for composting by the city.

However, even back then, I was not recycling properly. My recycling can upstairs was lined with plastic. I would eat my microwaveable meals, and toss the plastic into the bin. I would also toss in my cans and bottles without rinsing them. I also included milk cartons and pizza boxes. After all, cardboard is recyclable, right?

Wrong.

I found out if the cardboard is coated, or if food touches the cardboard, it is not recyclable. If there is any trace of food waste, such as oils on a pizza box, that entire box has to go into the landfill. Do most Americans know their pizza boxes are NOT recyclable? Every single one must go to a landfill.

And what about CFLs? Compact flourescent lightbulbs helped me cut my electricity bill by 25% before I finally traded my luxury apartment for pod life. But, nobody ever told me CFLs contain mercury, and disposing of CFLs in the trash or the recycle bin is a health hazard. Why aren’t all CFLs labeled with clear instructions how to dispose of them?

After some research, I learned there is a number to call, 1-800-98-TOXIC (1-800-988-6942), to have hazardous waste picked up. The 1-800-RECYCLING.com recycling location search can also help you find a place to bring your used CFLs.

So, what was I doing all these years, mixing milk cartons (coated cardboard that is not recyclable, not to mention food waste) with pizza boxes (more food waste), with unclean plastic food containers from microwave meals (more disgusting food waste), with used batteries (toxic hazardous waste), compact flourescent bulbs (hazardous waste!) and some actual, clean, recyclable materials?

Clearly, I was contaminating the entire blue bin. Especially because all my recyclables were being tossed into a plastic-lined can upstairs first. I would close that bag by tying it off and toss the entire thing into the blue bin. That plastic bag would be splattered with food, and everything in the bag would be diverted from the recycling bin into the landfill.

As my dear old Grandpa used to say, “Oy vey!” We’ve been doing it all wrong, all along. Time to go back to the drawing board.

The good news is, a recent survey by Waste & Recycling News ranked the most populous American cities based on the recycling of paper, plastic, metal, glass, bulk, organic and other waste, and the city of Los Angeles had the highest recycling rate out of the 10 largest U.S. cities, with about a 65% recycle rate. Even with all the errors people are bound to be making every day, that’s not too shabby!

For more information on what to put in the blue bins and what not to put there, check out the info sheet here.