If you toss the wrong thing in that recycling bin, you could be causing needless waste

by Marty Matsch

Single-Stream recycling: it’s the new way we all recycle here in Boulder County. No more sorting paper from containers, they now go all together in one bin. It’s convenient, so more people are choosing the recycling bin over the trash can, and it combines two recycling collection bins into one, creating the opportunity for communities to use that freed-up bin for curbside compost collection and get closer to their Zero Waste goals. Good stuff. But one of the challenges to Single-Stream is the increase in contamination.

Folks tend to get a little recycling happy, tossing additional items into the bin. But including non-recyclable materials jeopardizes the success of the whole program. So Eco-Cycle and Boulder County have launched the Dirty Dozen, a hit list of the worst recycling contaminants that must NOT go in the bin:

1. Plastic Bags
Plastic bags are the WORST contaminant in the recycling bin. When placed in a curbside bin, they get wet and dirty and cannot be recycled. Plastic bags with a #2 or #4 can be recycled at the CHaRM or at participating grocery stores if they are clean, dry and empty.

2. Materials in Plastic Bags
Workers have to slow the conveyor belts to rip open bags that contain recyclables and then add the bag to the heap of bags bound for the landfill, wasting the bag, time and money.

3. Plastic Lids or Caps
Plastic lids, caps and pumps, on or off the bottle, are non-recyclable plastics without a market. Tossed in separate from the bottle, they are not pulled out by our processing screens and contaminate both the glass and the plastic materials.

4. Shredded Paper
Shredded paper is too small to sort — the pieces fall through the cracks of the sorting machines, stick to the belts and end up all over the floor. Please avoid shredding when possible because it destroys the potential for recycling. Compost shredded materials in your curbside compost bin (if you have one), or recycle them with paperboard at the Longmont or Boulder recycling drop-off centers.

5. Non-Recyclable Plastics
While we have added new plastic items to the “YES” list, many plastics are still very much on the “NO” list. Plastic lids, foam (Styrofoam®), plastic pots and any other plastics not listed in our recycling guidelines are not recyclable because stable markets do not exist for these materials.

6. Caps or Lids on Containers
Left on the bottle, caps and lids keep liquid inside the container (see item #7). Please remove and recycle metal caps and jar lids separately. Please THROW AWAY plastic caps and lids!

7. Liquids
When we compact bottles for shipping, liquids drip, splatter and explode all over the floor, creating a sticky stew with a stench. Please completely empty and give a quick rinse to all containers before recycling.

8. Ceramics or Non-Recyclable Glass
Ceramic, china, dishes, mirrors, light bulbs, Pyrex®, porcelain and window glass should not go in the bin! Their different melting points and chemical compositions will ruin new glass bottles. If our buyer sees just one of these on the top of a load of glass, the entire load could be rejected.

9. Diapers or Other Bio-Hazardous Waste
You wouldn’t think we’d have to say this, but…syringes and needles, diapers and other sanitary products are not recyclable OR compostable.

10. Hazardous Waste
Hazardous waste such as paint, automotive fluids, car batteries and pesticides must be taken to the Boulder County Household Hazardous Waste Facility, not the Recycling Center. Learn more about what’s considered hazardous and how to properly manage it by calling 303-441-4800 for more information.

11. Scrap Metal
Scrap metal items of any size should not go in your curbside bin. These items cause excessive damage to the recycling equipment. Please take these materials to either the Boulder or Longmont recycling drop-off centers and look for the specially marked scrap metal bin.

12. Frozen Food Containers
Paperboard boxes that were designed for freezer foods, such as frozen pizza and entrées, have a plastic polymer sprayed on them to protect against freezer burn. That same coating prevents the box from breaking up in the recycling process. These materials are not recyclable OR compostable.

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