So what goes in that bin?
*Reference the lists below*
The simple answer is plastic, metal and paper. But there are some things that can’t be recycled.One of the biggest problems in the recycling industry is contamination.
rigid plastics, #s 1-7
water bottles
juice containers
2-liter bottles
milk jugs
bleach bottles
detergent bottles
shampoo and soap bottles
plastic jars
egg cartons
food cans
pet food cans
soda cans
beer cans
white & colored office paper
magazines & newspapers
junk mail
flattened cardboard
cereal & cracker boxes
phonebooks
soda & beer boxes
tetra pak (boxed wine, milk, water ect.),
juice boxes
brown paper bags
card stock
Some stuff just can’t be handled by recycling facilities. They just gunk up the process and make it harder to recycle other materials. Here is a list of things that you should not put into your bin. If you have any questions about what is recyclable and what is not, just give us a shout.
food waste
glass
plastic bags
plastic film
plastic wrap
styrofoam
packing peanuts
light bulbs
pizza boxes (too much grease...)
snack food bags (chips, popcorn, etc…)
batteries
e-waste
fast food containers, cups, wrappers
scrap metal (metal pipe, hangers, wires, auto parts)
motor oil bottles
hot ashes
plastic bags
concrete/rocks/gravelwood
yard waste (grass, leaves, trimmings, etc…)
hazardous waste
medical waste/needles
shredded paper
Rinse dirty recyclables
Flatten your boxes
Crush or Stack anything else
When in Doubt, Throw it Out – Or ask us!
***adding items to your bin that are not recyclable adds contamination to the stream and can sometimes send good recyclables go to the land fill***
Unfortunately we cannot accept glass right now. There are no glass recyclers within an economically viable distance of New Mexico. Freight is the problem. For glass to be accepted by regional recyclers, it must be ‘rolled’ down to a certain size. Once it gets that small, it weights about 2000 lbs per square yard. Long story short– you burn more money on fuel than you can make selling the glass– recycling glass in our region has become a zero sum game. But, there are economically viable solutions. We are working diligently to figure out what we can do with glass as a community.
Most plastic bags are completely recyclable. The reason we cannot accept them is that they tend to cause problems with the sorting machinery. Fortunately, most grocery stores have plastic bag recycle collection. Check towards the front door; the bins are usually there.
It is estimated that up to 1 trillion plastic grocery bags are consumed worldwide every year. Only 1 in 200 of those actually get recycled. The best solution to this is to purchase re-usable grocery bags and not have to worry about plastic bags at all!
We realize there are far more materials and things that can be recycled such as tires, electronics, large appliances, industrial waste, etc…
As we grow so will our impact. We are constantly exploring ways that we can provide this type of service. Keep checking back for updates to our service offerings.
Contact us or email info@conscioustaos.com
