Some basics on recycling and the special case of aluminum cans!

Recycling isn't quite what it used to be. Used to be you had to scrub and sort everything at home. Not anymore! Rinse that container out, throw it in a bin and forget about it till the bins full! Atleast that's how it works around here in Good old Indiana!

I keep a plastic tote in my pantry, it's right next to the trash can and out of sight! A closet is another good location if you don't have a pantry. Or just an out of the way corner in your kitchen. Then when you use something, say a box of cereal, rather than throwing it away, you just throw the box and it's plastic liner in the tote instead of the trash and forget about it till it's full!

Simple right? Though I guess knowing what you can recycle would be helpful wouldn't it? Here is a list composed by the Howard county Recycling Distict of Indiana;

Some recycling basics

Paper Products, Cardboard, BoxboardTypically any paper products you can tear with your hands NOT contaminated with food. Examples include newspaper, magazines, school and office paper, envelopes, inserts, cereal boxes, and paper packaging.

Flatten boxes remove all plastic liners and windows from boxes.


Beverage Cans and Metal Cans:

Steel, tin and aluminum cans are acceptable.

Rinse the cans. Labels and lids do not need to be removed.


Glass bottles and Jars:
Green, brown and clear glasses are accepted for recycling.

Rinse the containers. No mirror, window glass, or drinking glasses, vases, ceramics, or bake ware.


Plastics:

All number 1 through number 7 plastics are accepted at the Drop-Off locations. Numbers within the recycling symbol (Resin ID Codes) let consumers know just what the plastic is. Resin ID codes are not intended to provide guidance on the safe or appropriate use of any plastic item and should not be used for this purpose.



(1) PETE (Polyethylene Terephthalate) Includes beverage bottles (like 2-liter drink bottles).


(2) HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) Includes milk jugs, detergent bottles and bleach bottles.


(3) V (Vinyl) Includes cooking oil bottles, packaging around meats.


(4) LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) Includes grocery store produce bags, bread bags, food wrap, and mustard squeeze bottles.


(5) PP (Polypropylene) Includes yogurt containers, shampoo bottles, syrup bottles, and margarine tubs.


(6) PS (Polystyrene) Plastic foam (Styrofoam-TM) Includes hot beverage cups, fast food clamshell containers, egg cartons, and meat trays. Look for the recycling symbol on the bottom of your plastic items.


The number "7" is used to represent a group of other plastics or combinations of plastics.

Now what happens next? If your lucky, you live in an area where you can get curbside pick up for your recyclebles as well as your garbage. If your curious if this service is availible in your area, check this out; http://www.wm.com/. Go to the quick links section, and click "Recycling Inquiry".

If you have a different local waste disposal service, find thier website or give them a call to find out about curbside options.

For those of us who don't have that option, another one, the one I use myself, is drop off bins. Large wooden containers are all through out my city of Kokomo. I load up the back of my vehicle and depending where I am going that day, I pick which ever bin is closest on my route.

The special case of cans

Another trick I use myself, is to keep two cheap garbage bins out side to store sticky, ant attracting, aluminum cans! The reason I do this is because aluminum cans net you some $$!

My poor husband is a hopeless coca-cola addict. Alot gets drank in our household. It's scary to think how many cans would be in a landfill just from us if we didn't have other options! Let's think about that for a moment...

If a family of three drinks 1-24 pack of cola a week, that's 96 cans a month, that's 1152 cans a year! Just for one family! I could build my daughter a fort! Hey wait a minute! Now there's a cool idea! Wonder what the neighbors would think of that one?

As I was saying before my brain distracted it's self with awesome forts, for one family of three, only two of which actually drink cola, that's 1152 cans! Make a pile of cans, see how much space they take up!



In michigan where I hail from origonaly, we were able to take our cans to almost any grocery store and get our ten cent deposit back. Can you imagine my shock when I moved to Indiana and discovered they didn't do that here?

Oh but not to fear! There are options! One thing I discovered, is that there are scrap metal collection place that you can take your cans and get a few bucks for them.

Just a few days ago, I took medium-sized trash cans to a place called Newlon Metals here in Kokomo, In. Net profit for all that effort? TWO WHOLE DOLLARS! Yeah, I know that sounds like nothing, but that two dollars bought me a Snickers icecream bar! Do you know how awesome one of those is on a hot day?

If two bucks just doesn't motivate you, how about kids in need? Another option here in Kokomo, is to donate cans to St.Jude's Childrens research hospital.

There are locked wooden bins next to the recycling containers for the cans, when they are full the cans are collected and turned in for thier scrap metal value, all of the proceeds going to support St.Jude's. Maybe your city has a similar option?