If you have mastered the art of recycling, well then it’s part of your daily life. So therefore I say congratulations on taking the necessary steps. All to help save our planet.
However, I know, there will be times when you’ll feel confused by what should and shouldn’t be recycled. Please know that you are not alone.
This article helps make your journey to going green easy. All by listing common items found in the home. I mean the ones that most people consider recyclable. All when really they are not. While regulations vary by country or region, these are the items that I say don’t. I mean for they can’t be recycled in most places.
Photographs
It’s so so easy to assume that just because photographs are produced from paper. Especially when they are recyclable. So when old pictures from lovers of film camera pile up, where do you dispose of them? It’s not ideal for throwing the items in the dustbin. This is because the photographic developing process incorporates chemicals. For they are all unsuitable for recycling.
Fortunately and thanks to technology, digital cameras produce prints more eco. All that do not need chemical processing. But how do you know your picture is not contaminated with photographic chemicals?
Tear a small portion on the corner. If it’s ripping apart in layers instead of clean like a magazine, no go. I mean that then it’s also probably contaminated.
Heat Treated Ceramic
Most households have ceramic mugs, plates, and containers. When they break or chip, what should you do with them? Well, they don’t have to end up in the landfill and do more damage to the environment. Most places do not recycle such items, especially if they are heat-treated, contaminating a whole recycling batch. However, there are cities with recycling yards that take ceramic products. When recycled, ceramics find their art projects applications, redesigning dinnerware, and as gravel for decorating pathways.
While having ceramic items acts as an obstacle to protecting the planet earth, you should opt to pay for your programming homework help electronically and reduce your carbon footprint as a computer student.
Paper Towel
Paper towels, toilet paper, paper napkins, and paper plates are common household items that many individuals assume are recyclable but are actually not. These items are considered food tainted commodities, and their fibers are too short, making recycling harder. When the contaminated paper towels are sent to the landfills, the oxygen-deprived conditions cause them to release methane, which traps heat and contributes to climate change.
While short fibers make paper towels bad for recycling, they are good for compositing. However, compositing releases carbon dioxide, which is still a greenhouse gas, although it is better than methane. So the next time you want to clean up food remains or any kitchen spillage, minimize your carbon footprint by using a cloth towel.
Old-School Incandescent Light Bulb
Bulbs brighten our homes, and even when they burnout, homeowners are quick to replace them. But when your bulb burns out, do you recycle or throw it in the trash? Old-school incandescent bulbs that are often not energy efficient are not recyclable. However, LEDs, halogen bulbs, fluorescent lights, and CFLs are recyclable.
When Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) end up in the trash, they are sent to the landfill. The harsh conditions cause these bulbs to release toxic chemicals like mercury and phosphor that can sip underground and contaminate the soil and the water supply. The products disposed of in landfills are unfriendly to the environment.
Not all light bulbs are accepted in the recycling centers, but components of fluorescent bulbs such as glass and metal are recyclable.
Woven Plastic Mesh Bags
These bags are the go-to packaging for oranges, lemon, and other citrus fruits. Although lightweight plastic mesh bags are non-biodegradable, it’s best to reuse them in creative ways at home. For instance, when buying groceries the next time or as a scrubber for pots. However, there are some mesh bags made of polypropylene matter that are recyclable.
Greased Cardboard
That delicious pizza that you keep ordering every week comes in a recyclable cardboard box. However, when it becomes soaked with the grease and oil from pizza, it cannot be recycled. The oil, cheese, and food particles might damage the recycling machines. Hence it’s best to put the contaminated box in the trash or composting bin.
Egg Cartons
Coffee cups and egg cartons containing Styrofoam cannot be recycled. They are also not biodegradable. As a result, they end up in landfills. Cartons that are contaminated by shells or food are also not recyclable as they can damage other materials being recycled. Eggs cartons are often made from items that have already been recycled, which makes their fiber thinner. In such situations, it becomes difficult to reuse them again.
