Below are things to know when preparing your things for recycling. Your local recycler will thank you.
- checking to see what is able to be collected at curbside in your area; for most areas that means
plastic items with Plastic Identification Codes of #1 and #2. For more info:
Plastic Identification Codes
- sorting your plastic carefully; including removing caps from bottles (most caps cannot be recycled)
- attached labels are acceptable
- rinsing, cleaning and flattening plastic before it goes going curbside
So what can be usually recycled at curbside? Below is from http://www.recycleright.org:
Help to close the loop - buy products with recycled materials in them. Remember to reduce, reuse and recycle. For more information:
For more information: The Green Cycles: The green cycles: recycling, precycling, freecycling, upcycling, downcycling and e-cycling
Recently I've needed to look into the possible replacement of one of my smoke alarms and of a fire
extinguisher. I quickly found very helpful information on the proper disposal of both of these. I'm
sharing what I found below. If you find yourself in the same situation as myself, please properly
dispose of your smoke alarms and fire extinguishers.
From Earth911.com:
Tips for Properly Disposing of Smoke Detectors
According to the U.S. EPA, both photoelectric and ionization smoke alarms contain plastic, electronic
circuit boards and in some cases, batteries. When it comes time to dispose of your device, it’s
important to know that ICSDs cannot be recycled, due to their radioactive content. For this reason, it
is extremely important to properly dispose of the unit. Do this by:
1. Removing the battery and recycling it
2. Safely removing the plastic cover, and recycling it with your other plastic casing.
3. Sending it back to the manufacturer, who will properly dispose of it. The address of the supplier is usually listed in the product warranty or user’s manual.
4. Finding a drop off location or HHW event in your area if the manufacturer will not accept the unit.
Tips on the Disposal of Fire Extinguishers
You likely have two reasons for disposing of a fire extinguisher: it is too old or the contents have
been discharged. Disposal options depend on whether or not the extinguisher is empty.
If it’s not empty:
1. Check the Pressure Gauge: Your extinguisher should have a gauge saying whether it is overcharged, if it’s at the correct pressure or in need of a recharge. This is your first clue as to whether the unit is operating correctly.
2. Call Your Fire Department: You might be able to exchange your extinguisher or get it recharged.
3. Take it to a Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) event: Extinguishers with contents remaining are considered hazardous, so find your nearest HHW collection event or program using Earth911.
If it’s empty:
1. Squeeze the Lever Above the Handle: This will ensure that all contents are discharged.
2. Remove the Head: This will let whoever disposes of the extinguisher know that all contents have been removed.
3. Recycle the Steel Body: Once the head is removed, your community should accept fire extinguishers with the rest of your ferrous metal.
In both cases, make sure to follow any instructions on the fire extinguisher. Once your old extinguisher is disposed, make sure you replace it with a new fire extinguisher immediately.
I recently had a Lean Cuisine (the first in awhile) and after enjoying the four cheese cannelloni I
had a question. I know that I can recycle the cardboard box the meal came in, but what about the meal
tray that houses the before mentioned meal? I found out that indeed, "Yes I can!". It turns out that
most microwave and oven-ready meal trays are made from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET, PETE), which is
#1 of the Plastic Identification Codes.
#1 products can be recycled can be recycled by your home-recycling pick-up program or local recycling center.
ConAgra Foods, one of the leading manufacturers of meal trays, has frozen meal trays made from post-consumer
recycled plastic. The trays, which contain up to 40
percent post-consumer recycled plastic, will divert approximately 8 million pounds of plastic from
landfills to the recycling stream each year. You can do your part as well; recycle those meal trays instead
of throwing them in the trash.
ConAgra Foods has partnered with Associated Packaging Technologies to utilize a new technology that
cleans recycled plastic for use as a component in frozen meal trays. Older plastics technologies limited
food companies to using only new plastic to comply with regulations for direct food contact materials.
The new ultra-clean processing technology makes it safe for consumers to eat the prepared food directly
from the frozen meal trays. The new trays are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as
direct food contact materials.
So, can microwave meal trays be recycled? Yes
