Tag Archives: recycling

JUICE BOXES ARE NOT RECYCLABLE.

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Aseptic packaging, also known as juice boxes or Tetra-Pak bricks, are not recyclable. Don’t put them in your recycling can. They should go in your regular garbage can. Although Berkeley and Oakland recycle a very wide variety of plastic products, there is no practical way to recycle aseptic packaging. That is because this packaging is not made out of a single material, like paper or plastic. Aseptic packaging is a combination of plastic, paper, and metal foil all glued together. On the city of Berkeley web site, it says that they don’t accept aseptic packaging for recycling because they “have uncertain end markets.” What does it mean? It means that although it is theoretically possible to recycle this stuff, there is no practical way to do it. Aseptic packaging is one of reasons why China, India, and many other countries will no longer accept American trash for recycling. Americans mix everything together in recycling cans – products that are recyclable, products that Americans think are recyclable but actually aren’t, plus ordinary garbage. The food processing and plastics industries in the U.S. have been criticized for a long time for labeling products ‘recyclable’, ‘biodegradable’, and ‘compostable’ in ways that are either highly deceptive or just plain false. Plastic products that are often labeled ‘recyclable’ but that are not actually recyclable include: coffee cup lids, coffee stirrers, straws, cutlery, bottle caps, potato chip bags, and styrofoam. Remember – you can often get a lot more garbage in your garbage can if you take the caps off aseptic boxes and milk cartons first!

ARE METAL STRAWS SAFE?

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A lot of restaurants and bars in California have gotten rid of plastic straws since the state passed a law limiting where plastic straws can be used. Since then, metal straws have been popping up everywhere. You can buy them in many stores here in Berkeley, but should you? I have asked people who work in public health: “Are metal straws safe?”, and nobody said: “Yes.” The problem is this – it is easy to clean the outside of a metal straw, but how do you sanitize the inside of it? Metal straws come with a little brush designed to clean out the inside of these straws, but how can you be sure that you got all the germs and stuff inside the straw that could rot or mold? I was at a catered event and was offered a drink with a metal straw in it. I wouldn’t drink it and asked the bartender for another drink without a straw in it. I had no way of knowing who used that straw before me. The last person who used that straw might have had the flu. You can get the flu, hepatitis, and many other diseases by using a straw that was previously used by an infected person. In addition, it is not clear that metal straws are better for the environment than plastic straws. Making one nickel straw generates more carbon emissions than 100 plastic straws. Plus, how much hot water would you have to use to thoroughly clean a metal straw inside and out 100 times, and how many people are really going to do that? If you want to avoid using plastic straws, use paper or cardboard straws or drink your beverages without a straw. Many cities, like Berkeley, are passing laws to ban or phase out single-use paper products, like coffee cups and straws. I think that is a bad idea. The problem is that it is very hard for politicians in a place like Berkeley to vote against a law that is perceived to be good for the environment – even if they know that it is not a good idea.

RECYCLING CANS. Take a look at the photo below. I see trash cans like these all over Berkeley and San Francisco. This is why China and other countries won’t accept American garbage. Americans mix everything together.

ITEMS TO KEEP OUT OF YOUR RECYCLING CANS.

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Bad recycling habits have consequences. Putting things in your recycling can that can’t actually be recycled can contaminate everything else in the can. This contamination is the main reason why countries that used to take America’s trash for recycling – China, India, and the Philippines – have stopped taking it. Here are some common items that you shouldn’t put in your recycling can.

  1. Padded shipping envelopes. Millions of padded envelopes are shipped every day, mainly from internet retailers. Most padded envelopes are made out of mixed materials glued together, paper on the outside and plastic bubble wrap inside. These envelopes should go in your regular trash can. Like a lot of other products, padded shipping envelopes are theoretically recyclable, but from a practical standpoint, they actually aren’t.
  2. Mixed materials glued together. Coffee bags, like shipping envelopes, are made from mixed materials, paper on the outside and plastic inside. Cardboard boxes with metallic foil glued on the outside is also not recyclable. See photo below.
  3. Plastic bags and shrink wrap. They are not recyclable, and they screw up the machinery at recycling facilities. Shiny plastic bags, like the bags that potato chips come in, are also not recyclable.
  4. Anything that can tangle around other things. This includes rope, wire, garden hoses, netting, gift wrap ribbon, and clothes hangers. Even if these things are made out of recyclable materials, put them in your trash can. They create a lot of problems at recycling facilities.
  5. Anything with food still in it. A pizza box with the crusts inside or cheese stuck to the box is not recyclable. The same goes for cans and jars with food still inside them. Recycling centers don’t want the mice, rats, bugs, and mold that come with these items.
  6. Toothpaste tubes. These are also made with mixed materials.
  7. Styrofoam. Shipping peanuts, molded foam packaging, and foam coffee cups and plates should all go in the trash can.
  8. Batteries. You can get a fine in California for putting batteries of any kind in your trash or recycling cans.
  9. Sharps. Don’t put sharp things in your recycling cans. They could injure the people handling it at recycling centers, things like broken glass or ceramics, nails, razor blades, and sharp can lids.

Styrofoam Pellets

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styrofoam3NEVER PUT LOOSE STYROFOAM PELLETS IN YOUR GARBAGE CAN!! When garbage collectors empty garbage cans into their truck, they turn the cans upside down. When they do that, loose styrofoam pellets can get blown all over the neighborhood in even the slightest breeze. Styrofoam pellets are made out of petroleum. They do not biodegrade; they do not fall apart in the rain; and they do not get eaten by squirrels. They hang around in the environment for a long time. Styrofoam pellets should always be put into plastic bags and sealed before placing the bags into your garbage can. If you have a lot of styrofoam pellets, you can drop off bags of them at most packaging stores at no charge, where they will get reused. The UPS store in downtown Berkeley will accept bags of styrofoam pellets if they are clean and there is nothing else in the bag. Loose styrofoam pellets in your garbage can are a disaster waiting to happen!