Dear Just Be: I would like to be more environmentally friendly. What can I recycle?

People will use the excuse that recycling is too complicated, but that just doesn’t fly anymore. Many counties in Colorado have gone to a program called single-stream recycling which means you don’t have to separate your recyclables into two containers –everything can go into one container. However, there are some items that are considered “contaminants” and CANNOT BE recycled at all. Below is the list you should know of what CAN’T be recycled.

1.) Plastic Bags – These are the WORST CONTAMINANTS! If you have an abundance of plastic bags, take them to your local grocery store. You will most likely see a bin at the front of the store where you can drop them off. The plastic bags can not be broken down and so jam the recycling machines.

2.) Materials in a Plastic Bag.

3.) Plastic Lids or Caps (on or off the bottle)

4.) Shredded Paper. The paper is just too small to sort and so falls through the sorting machines, sticks to belts, and ends up on the floor.

5.) Non-Recyclable Plastics

6.) Liquids

7.) Ceramics or Non-Recyclable Glass

8.) Diapers or Bio-Hazardous Waste – Syringes, needles, diapers and other sanitary products are not recyclable nor are they compostable.

9.) Hazardous Waste – Hazardous waste is defined as paint, automotive fluids, car batteries and pesticides. These items MUST be taken to your local household hazardous waste facility.

10.) Scrap Metal

11.) Frozen Food Boxes – These boxes are designed with a plastic polymer sprayed in/on them to protect against freezer burn.

To make your environment a cleaner place and to make single-stream recycling a success, print out the recycling guidelines found on the following link and post them next to your recycling container(s) http://www.ecocycle.org/singlestream/RecyclingBinsDirtyDozen.pdf