I'm new to this recycling thing, so please be patient with me!

My dd's school keeps a large, divided recycling bin in the parking lot, so I've just started taking items up there. My question is about bottles and containers that have had milk, detergent, and other items in them. How do you prepare these items for recycling? Do you have to peel off the labels? Do you keep the caps on them? How well do you have to rinse them out?

TIA!

Anything that has food in it should be rinsed out just to avoid critters and bugs from attacking the recycling bin. If the container has a food in it that can't be thoroughly cleaned I swish the inside with a little soapy water but don't rinse and that usually deters a bug invasion.

If the label is glued on, don't worry about peeling it off. If the label isn't glued on (like the yogurt drink bottled) I usually cut those off. You are supposed to remove the cap and the little plastic cap ring, too. When the kids at DD's school recycle their milk bottles they don't have time to do any of this, of course.

__________________
"I've been rich and I've been poor but independently wealthy is where it is at."

First of all, let me just assure you that this is NOT a stupid question.
Alot of people may be "put off" with recycling because they think that there are too many rules to have to follow. It's true that there are certain rules about different materials, but I promise you that once you get the basics down, recycling will become second-nature!!

As for plastics: Most centers will only accept those plastics labeled with the PETE 1 and HDPE 2 symbols.

This includes: Milk jugs, shampoo bottles, detergent bottles, vitamin bottles, plastic soda bottles, and water containers etc. These symbols can generally be found molded into the bottom of the containers. If you can't identify the type of plastic, don't include it. Also, PAPER milk or juice boxes, that have been lined with plastic or wax, are often NOT ACCEPTED!! (I would check before including any of those in the recycle bin.)

Most facilities require that you remove caps since it is usually made of a different type of plastic, so for dropping things off at the school I would remove them just to be safe. Some facilities will accept these plastics, though, so if you are so inclined, check with your local recycling center to see if caps can be dropped off there!!

About the labels...Don't worry about removing them!! (Unless you're saving Campbell's Soup labels!! ) It's not necessary!!

And about rinsing...I would rinse the milk jugs out, but with the detergent bottles...I always use up the last of my detergent for handwashing small items in the sink. I'd say try to use up what's left in your detergent bottles, but don't worry about those being extremely clean.

HTH!!

__________________
Whoever said "Ain't nothin' in life for free"
had obviously never visited
The MommySavers Samples & Freebies Forum!!



Come on over...to the "FREE side"!!
http://mommysavers.com/boards/sample...eebies-offers/

I almost posted the same question. Thanks for the answers.

__________________
AMY

I don't know if this is everywhere but here (Oregon) we can't recycle any plastic container with a lid bigger than the base...such as yogurt containers. WE can recycle almost everything here including cardboard packaging from boxed foods...like mac and cheese and cereal. Isn't that cool? We can even curb side our used motor oil!!!!!

__________________
Sarah

Thanks for all the help!

I titled this post "stupid question" because I figured this was probably common sense and everyone knew this stuff except me!

I'm really starting to get into this recycling thing. Everytime I'm done with a container, I look on the bottom to see if it has the recycling symbol. I get excited when I see that it's a recyclable product.

Different places have different rules and it really seems to vary quite a bit...does the bin have a name on it? Maybe you can google it and see if you can find info on what they do, and do not, take or an email address where you can email them and they can send the list.

I do rinse out all our containers, I don't know if that's a rule in our area or not, it's just something I do. I don't want to smell yucky leftover food in my garage until garbage day! I do take labels off of cans, because they usually come off when I'm cleaning them out. I don't keep caps or lids (unless it's a metal lid).

My MIL always tells us her city doesn't "do" recycling, which Dh and I found hard to believe. Then one day we saw the recycling truck on her street and told her, YES! They do recycle! She still tells everyone her city doesn't recycle, that she tried and they don't. It's odd. LOL DH thinks it's because she doesn't follow the rules, for example, her city takes newspapers for recycling and you just have to put them in a brown grocery bag. She mixes in other paper recycling with the newspapers and you're not supposed to do that, so they don't pick it up. She even has the list, from her city, of what they recycle, when they pick it up, how to put it out on the curb etc on the inside of her kitchen cabinet. LOL

I live in the county and, unfortunately, they really don't "do" recycling out here. I wish they did. I only started recycling because the large bin in the parking lot of my dd's school got me curious.

It probably does...I'll get the name from it next time I'm up there.

It's true that different places have different levels of recycling - or none at all.

I remember when I was a kid, the city gave us a recycling crate to put our aluminum cans in. The city had a special "recycling truck" that would pick up our aluminum every week. And even earlier, when I was in 1st grade, I remember us binding up our newspapers to drop off at my school every once in a while. Where I live now, you have to drive over to one of two recycling places with your aluminum. I've lived here for 3 years, and have never seen a "recycling truck" like I remember seeing when I was a kid.

The only other "recycling" we do here is with old motor oil. I know the fire department has a big "container" of some kind out behind the station where you're supposed to put your used oil.

I would call around to see what you can take where in your area.
Every place is different...

__________________
Whoever said "Ain't nothin' in life for free"
had obviously never visited
The MommySavers Samples & Freebies Forum!!



Come on over...to the "FREE side"!!
http://mommysavers.com/boards/sample...eebies-offers/

Many communities have recycling instituted but do not actually recycle. Sometimes recycling isn't economical. There isn't a company to take the stuff and recycle it because it isn't cost effective. Different materials have different costs to recycle.

So unfortunately, some communities faithfully send the recycle truck around collecting the carefully segregated items in pretty colored bins only to take them to the dump.

Sad but true. I like to focus on not purchasing a lot of new stuff, using things totally, reusing wherever possible and composting.