Friday, January 22, 2010

Do not recycle part 2

I'm continuing my series of things we should not recycle (in the curbside recycling cart). If you are like many Minnesotans, you may be enjoying a pizza this Sunday evening while watching the Vikings game. The pizza came in a box that you might think is recyclable, but it is not. Once a little grease and cheese get on the box, it should go in the trash. When grease and cheese sit on the pizza box for a while, mold starts growing and that is the last thing you want when you are trying to turn an old box into new cereal boxes and other boxes for food. Thanks for not recycling (pizza boxes) and GO VIKES!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Do not recycle part 1

I'm starting a series on items that we should not recycle in your curbside recycling cart. Today it is plastic bags. Please do not put plastic bags in your recycling cart and please do not put recyclables in plastic bags in your recycling cart. Plastic bags fowl up the sorting systems that are used at material recovery facilities. They get stuck in the conveyors and wind up as trash.

So what should you do with plastic bags...?
  1. Don't use white or black trash bags for your recyclables at home, use a paper bag or put the recyclables in the cart without a bag. Personally, I use a small plastic trash container without a bag. When it is full, i walk it to my recycling cart and dump it - no bag needed!
  2. Bring your own reusable bag when shopping
  3. If you buy a small item, tell the cashier you don't need a bag
  4. Recycle your plastic bags at Drop Off sites such as Festival Foods, Cub Foods, Lunds, Byerly's, or the Hennepin County Recycling Center (8100 Jefferson Hwy.,Brooklyn Park)

Thanks for not recycling (plastic bags in your cart).