Can You Recycle It? Take Our Quiz and Find Out!

Since our world is becoming increasingly polluted, recycling is becoming an essential practice for homeowners to promote sustainability, protect the environment, and conserve our natural resources, such as water, energy, and raw materials.

In short, recycling is the practice of collecting, sorting, and converting waste into materials that can be used again.  When we recycle, it reduces the amount of waste taking up our landfills and promotes a greener and healthier lifestyle, which is a win for your wallet and the environment!

Nevertheless, recycling can be intimidating if you don’t know what materials can and cannot be recycled. To help homeowners navigate recycling and its benefits, this article will explain:

• What materials can/can’t be recycled
• Composting
• What plastics can be recycled
• Recycling in Columbus, Ohio 

Recyclable Materials

Depending on your state, different recycling rules and regulations may apply. If you don’t know your state's recycling guidelines, you can look them up on your state's official recycling webpage. In Columbus, the following materials can be recycled by curbside pick-up.

What Can Be Recycled?

• Aluminum cans, tins, and lids.
• Flattened cardboard and pizza boxes (free of food and grease).
• Plastic bottles/ jugs.
• Newspaper, magazines, catalogs, junk mail, computer paper, cereal, and other dry food. boxes, and phone books.
• Glass bottles and jars.
• Cartons and juice boxes.
• Shredded Paper.

What Can't Be Recycled?

• Trash.
• Yard waste.
• Garbage bags or other plastic bags.
• Hazardous materials (oil, pesticides, paints, household cleaners, or batteries).
• Syringes/needles.
• Styrofoam.
• Old electronics or light bulbs.
• Window glass, mirrors, dinnerware, ceramics, or pots and pans.
• Food.
• Foil juice pouches.

What Types of Plastic Material Can Be Recycled?

Plastic is one of the world's most recyclable materials; because of this, it’s important to understand what plastics can (and can’t) be recycled.

If you’ve ever gotten a takeout container or plastic Tupperware, you have probably seen a number in the recycling symbol on the bottom. This number (1-7) is known as the Resin Identification Number, which can be used to determine if your plastic waste can be recycled.

Image Source: romaset, Adobe Stock

Let's look at each code and a few examples of materials that can be recycled to the corresponding number.

●     ♳ Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE or PET)- clear plastic bottles and salad trays

●     ♴High- Density Polyethylene (HDPE)- milk jugs, shampoo/conditioner bottles, plastic tubs, detergent containers, toys

●     ♵Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)- cling film, tiles, shoes, pipes, ducts, window frames*

●     ♶Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)-  sandwich bags, condiment bottles (mayo, mustard, ketchup, etc.), frozen food bags, flexible container lids*

●     ♷Polypropylene (PP)- tupperware, prescription bottles, kitchenware, plastic diapers, bottle caps, take-out containers, etc.*

●     ♸Polystyrene or Styrofoam (PS)- Disposable coffee cups, plastic utensils, packing foam/peanuts, plastic food boxes*

●     ♹Miscellaneous Plastics (OTHER)- DVDs/CDs, baby bottles, glasses, light fixtures, medical storage containers, fiberglass, nylon*

* Some of these materials may not be recyclable in your state. If you are unsure if your material is accepted through curbside pick-up, please contact your local recycling plant. Remember that some more durable materials can only be recycled at a drop-off location*

Composting

Many homeowners don’t think of composting as a form of recycling; however, it is one of the best ways homeowners can reduce their carbon footprint. Composting helps protect our environment, saves homeowners money, and improves the soil.

In fact, Feeding America estimates that 119 billion pounds (130 billion meals or over $408 billion) of food is wasted in the U.S. each year. Not to mention, a typical U.S. household that composts kitchen and yard waste can lessen your waste stream by at least 35%!

Acceptable Organic Materials for Composting

• Grass clippings
• Weeds
• Fallen leaves
• Saw dust
• Fruit rinds, cores, and peels
• Stale bread
• Coffee grounds
• Eggshells
• Vegetable leaves and skin

Unacceptable Materials for Composting

• Human or pet solid waste
• Fats
• Grease
• Dairy products
• Meat scraps 

Pro Tip: A good compost pile has no odor and does not attract flies, bugs, or rodents

10 Common Recycling Mistakes to Avoid

1. Neglecting Your States Recycling Rules: before putting your recyclables in your bin, you must do your homework on what items can be recycled. Every state is different; you can search your state's governmental website to determine what materials and items are accepted in your state.

2. Not Taking Advantage of Your Local Recycling Program: many curbside recycling programs are paid by your taxes for a “free” service. Even if your household doesn't have multiple residents, any form of recycling is better than nothing.

3. Not Cleaning Your Recyclables: before putting them into your bin, they must be washed/ rinsed out. Food, oil, or dirt on your recyclables can cause the contamination of other recycled materials and reduce their repurposing ability.

4. Wishful Recycling: Unfortunately, I'm a homeowner guilty of this. Wishful recycling is when you put items/materials in your recycling bin that YOU think could/should be recyclables.

5. Leaving the Lids On: Contrary to popular belief, all lids should be taken off all plastic and glass containers. Leaving the tops on your recyclables can damage the sorting machine and prevent them from being properly recycled.

6. Putting Old Clothes in Your Recycling Bin: You cannot recycle clothes in your curbside pickup. Suppose you have old clothes to get rid of. In that case, you can donate them to multiple charities, such as The Kidney Foundation,  The Salvation Army, or your local Goodwill.

7. Not Flattening Boxes: unflattened cardboard boxes not only take up precious real estate in your recycling bin but also makes the sorting/breaking down process less efficient.

8. Trying to Recycle Items That Are Too Small: Believe it or not, small objects like bottle caps or plastic straws can fall through the cracks and end up in the wrong place.

9. Not Recycling Glossy Paper: Magazines are typically printed on glossy paper, which can be recycled with your other paper products. 

10. Recycling Plastic Grocery Bags: Plastic bags are not recyclable in your curbside trash/recycling pickup. If you have plastic bags to recycle, you can dispose of them at your local grocery store to be properly recycled. 

Recycling in Columbus, Ohio

In Columbus, Ohio, our curbside recycling pick-up is provided by Rumpke and is picked up in the same location as your trash. When setting out your blue recycling bin, you will want to ensure that:

• The bin is at least a foot away from the curb
• The bin is three feet from other trash/recycling bins or other obstructions
• Arrows on the lid are facing toward the street
• Your recycling is set out before 6:00 a.m. on collection day

How to Get Involved

On top of recycling organic materials from your home, the city of Columbus has several ways to get involved in your local community through the RecyColumbus Program, like planning a neighborhood event.

If you are planning a neighborhood event, you can fill out the official Ohio “event registration form.” By filling out this form, you will receive free promotional materials (ex: temporary tattoos, information cards, and even kid's coloring pages.

Another way to get involved is to choose an event or create your own to be a part of. This can range from local festivals, sporting events, farmer's markets, and meetings throughout your community.

Remember, you don’t need to know everything about recycling to get involved. If you have any additional questions about getting involved in the RecyColumbus Program, visit the official website, www.RecyColumbus.org, or call 614-645-3111.

Plus, if you are a teacher or a leader for a community group, you can schedule a tour of SWACO or the Rumke Material Recovery Facility. While you're there, you can see the recycling process in action, learn more about the recycling process, and learn how your community contributes to the city's Climate Action Plan.

Recycling News & Updates

Did you know that every Ohioan produces an average of 9-10 pounds of trash every day? Because of this, beginning in the summer of 2023, Mayor Andrew Ginther is increasing recycling pick-up from biweekly to weekly.

Keeping landfill space from max capacity is part of the “Climate Action Plan” and the Recycle Right Campaign (a program of SWACO). Both green initiatives aim to reduce carbon emissions in Columbus, Ohio, to 45% by 2030. On top of that, the state of Ohio hopes to achieve carbon neutrality and reduce the amount of waste going into our landfills by the year 2050.

Next Steps

Were you paying attention? Take the quiz below to find out!

How did you do? Did you pass with flying colors? If so, congrats!

If not, read this article and take the quiz again; remember, recycling starts with YOU!

At Fire & Ice, creating a cleaner, more sustainable world begins in our homes; by taking the tools and information you learned about recycling (from this article and others) and applying it to your everyday life, you can create a better world for the future.