Recycling Made Easier: All There Is to Know
Recycling entails reusing resources, materials or products that you would otherwise throw away as waste to deteriorate slowly over time. It is good for the environment in many ways. For instance, it reduces pollution, lowers energy usage, reduces landfills and protects animals and their habitats. Therefore, with the continued emphasis on environmental sustainability worldwide, many people have started considering recycling their products over the recent past. However, recycling is not always straightforward, especially if you are new to it. Moreover, it's more than taking all your waste to a recycling centre nearby. Therefore, if you plan to start recycling waste produced in your home or business, it would be best to know a thing or two about it first. Here is the guide you need.
What Can You Recycle?
Recycling centres will only accept what they consider recyclable waste. That means you cannot take all your household waste to a recycling centre. Therefore, it pays to know beforehand what a recycling centre will accept and what they won't. Generally, some standard recyclable items include most metals, paper and clipboard, glass and plastics. However, since these items come in several different types, it's often best to sort them before you visit a recycling centre. For instance, you can separate cardboard boxes from envelopes, magazines and newspapers and office paper. On the other hand, you can sort glass into flint glass (clear glass), emerald glass, amber glass, etc.
Items like plastic bottle caps, plastic bags, take-out food containers, asbestos, lead-containing products and products with radioactive metals like uranium and mercury won't usually be accepted because they are not recyclable. Therefore, it would be best to contact a recycling centre beforehand to determine what you can take for recycling. A quick way to determine whether an item is recyclable is to look for recycling symbols. And the most standard recycling symbol is the Mobius loop that has three arrows in a cycle. Products with these symbols are typically recyclable or contain recycled content.
Do You Have to Pay?
Generally, many recycling centres will accept general household waste free of charge. However, some types of waste are not classified as household waste and will often be accepted at a fee. For instance, DIY waste generated from home improvement or renovation work may attract charges depending on quantity. What's more, if you need to dispose of or recycle business waste, you will often always have to pay with only exceptions on only a few recyclables. Therefore, it's best to check with your local recycling centre to find out all the details you need to make your recycling hassle-free.