Conduct a plastic audit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqWwF9YBj7Y
Recycling is
not a silver-bullet solution to our problems. But if you’re going to recycle, at least do it right. Otherwise, you may end up doing more harm than good. When we contaminate our recycling bins with food waste and other nonrecyclables, everything in the recycling bin is wasted and sent to the landfill. America’s current recycling
contamination levels are 25 percent, meaning one of four items in our recycling bins shouldn’t be there.
- Recycle all empty bottles, cans, paper and cardboard
- Keep food and liquids out of your recycling
- Keep plastic bags out of your recycling
Above are the basics; but here’s, there’s more!
https://www.earthday.org/youre-doing-it-wrong-7-tips-to-recycle-better/
And it’s so hard to make sense of those recycle symbols. This info should help to clarify
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/g804/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321/
Learn the difference between the kind of plastics so you can recycle them properly.
Bring grocery bags to be recycled at the grocery store – there are collection bins there at the entry doors.
https://www.plasticfilmrecycling.org/recycling-bags-and-wraps/find-drop-off-location/
Taking this step is significant. A plastic bag can take anywhere from 15 – 1,000 years to breakdown. See April 5 about re-usable bags!
THE 6 R’S OF PLASTIC POLLUTION:
- REDUCE
- REUSE
- REFUSE
- REMOVE
- RECYCLE
- RALLY
Reduce - your own plastic waste. Start by
using our plastic calculator to track how much you use — then you can take steps to reduce your use and waste. Americans use approximately 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour, most of which are thrown away after use! Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures every year. Reduce your use as much as possible!
Reuse - Bring your own reusable shopping and produce bags to markets, and avoid using single-use plastic bags. Use re-usable water bottles; metal, glass or bamboo straws; make your own reusable cloth bags from old t-shirts, using basic sewing skills (or no sewing at all).
Refuse – things that you don’t need. An example, refuse straws: It’s as simple as adding, “No straw, please” when ordering beverages. You can say no to freebies when they are being handed out. If you buying something small, you can say, "I don't need a bag."
Remove – On all your walks, pick up trash. (Wear gloves!)
Recycle - the plastics you use and no longer need; return single-use bags to grocery stores for them to recycle.
Rally – Join in to be part of the change you want to see in the community and the world at large. Send a letter or call your local elected leaders, such as urging them to ban plastic bags and other single-use plastic items. Right now, social distancing prohibits actual in person rallies, but there are many online pledges and opportunities to get involved.
But, it’s important to understand that recycling forces consumers to take responsibility for managing this plastic waste, rather than question why we need single-use plastics in the first place — especially when alternatives exist. For example,
both aluminum and glass have smaller carbon footprints and don’t leak dangerous contaminants found in plastics.
Contrary to the popular narrative, the real solution shouldn’t be recycling. It’s time to focus on the other two Rs in the trinity of waste management: reducing and reusing.
http://mediaroom.wm.com/the-battle-against-recycling-contamination-is-everyones-battle/
