Your Questions About Recycling
by
Filed under Recycling Q & A
Charles asks…
Why does the recycling symbol appear on styrofoam products?
I’m confused. I heard that styrofoam is the absolute worst product for the environment since it’s is not recyclable. So why does it generally contain the recycling symbol? I try to avoid take-out boxes and such, but when I have them how should I dispose of them?
I appreciate your response.
The Expert answers:
Because styrofoam is technically recyclable. It’s a type of plastic.
However, it’s usually considered unrecyclable because, well, it’s hard to find people that will recycle it! It’s not cost effective (recycling centers are still businesses) and takes a lot of energy to recycle.
If you can, find out if anyone in your area will take them.
If not, well, take-out boxes are very good for plant drainage.
Joseph asks…
Should you recycle items without a recycling symbol?
I have a plastic bottle of Suave body wash that I just finished. It doesn’t have a recycle symbol on the bottom (or anywhere on the bottle). Should I still put it in the recycling bin or just throw it away?
The Expert answers:
No – a lot of plastics can’t be recycled because they contain dyes and other additives that can’t be removed from the plastic polymer. Adding plastics that can’t be recycled to your recyclables makes a lot of trouble for those trying to sort – meaning increased manpower and increased cost to recycle. (and not all plastics that DO have the recycling symbol can be recycled in your area, e.g. NYC will recycle bottles made of #1, but not take out containers due to the WAY the plastic was formed – blown versus molded). Anyway, the most eco-friendly thing to do is buy a bar of glycerin (vegetable based) soap which foams up just as well on your pouff and doesn’t have a bottle, and write Suave an email telling them why you won’t use their body wash anymore. 🙂
p.s. Vegetable based soaps are better anyway – the others contain phthalates and are PETROLEUM based which means that you’re diverting oil from energy to soap – imagine how much cheaper oil would be if we all used vegetable based shampoos, dish soap, laundry detergent, etc!
Lisa asks…
Is there an HTML code for the recycling symbol?
I recently wanted to use the recycling symbol for a post on Facebook, but couldn’t find an HTML code for it. Does such a thing even exist?
The Expert answers:
????????????
So you would use:
& #x2672 ;
without the spaces after the & and before the ;
Ruth asks…
Can I put in the recycling bin paper boxes that don’t have the recycle symbol?
For a while I have been putting in the recycling container paper boxes that are commonly used as packaging for grocery/retail items. They don’t necessarily have the recycle symbol. Would they be recycled anyway? They usually are coated with a glossy substance. I know other paper gets recycled. I have NOT been contacted by the company that picks up the items to be recycled, about my having put the paper boxes in question in the recycling container.
The Expert answers:
It’s a question for the recycling companies. Each company has its own process to sort out the recycled materials collected. Unfortunately, many do not provide enough information of “What to” and “What not to” for the customers.
Susan asks…
where can i purchase a shirt with the proper recycling symbol on it from?
i would like one of those shirts with the recycling symbol on it.
either white with the green symbol,
or green with a white symbol.
preferably one that will fit a 13 year old.
anyone know where i can get one from?
thanks
oh, and i live on the gold coast, australia, so preferably somewhere close
The Expert answers:
Www.cafepress.com
http://www.zazzle.com/
You can make your own (although I would imagine that they probably have some already made)
Robert asks…
What is another name for the recycling symbol?
Was just looking for another “name” for the recycling symbol =)
The Expert answers:
The three arrows mean Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. 🙂 but names for them are Recycled, Recyclable…
Daniel asks…
Can I recycle something that has no recycling symbol?
Such as sandwich baggies, shredded cheese bags & other misc packaging that does promote recycling by use of the symbol?
I meant any packaging that DOES NOT have the recycling symbol. My transfer station takes ALL plastics, aluminum, papers etc. I recycle everything that has the universal symbol….
I’m wondering solely about the packaging that bears NO symbol. thanks!
The Expert answers:
Very generally speaking, the items you mention are not recyclable. The difficulty would be that the facility that ends up with your recyclables would not be able to tell what the items are made of, so they would have to discard them.
Sandwich baggies are usually made with #4 plastics, which many recycling facilities do not accept. I’m not sure what the shredded cheese bags are made of; different manufacturers would use different types of plastics, but the cheese bags may also be #4’s.
At my Recycling Center, we do not accept food wrappers or baggies for that very reason.
Unfortunately, not everything is recyclable. But bless you for trying!
Mary asks…
How many sides does a recycling symbol have???
How many sides does a recycling symbol have???
http://www.fs.utoronto.ca/Assets/recycle…
if u forgot how it looks like… thanks everyone soo much i love u alll
is it??
27
3
6
or 12
The Expert answers:
27…
Richard asks…
What if there’s no recycling symbol in garbage bin?
I recycle a lot, and my dad brings it to these garbage bins that say Paper, Plastic, and Cans. But the problem is, he doesn’t remember seeing the recycling sign, the triangle. So does that mean that my recycling is going to waste because they only dump the garbage, not take it to recycling centers?
The Expert answers:
Generally recyclables are separated and not trash, so i’d say u’re fine.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers