Recycle Waste
17 April 2019
Plastic bags are not made from recyclable material. They contaminate the recycling and jam the machinery at the waste recycling facilities. A common occurrence is people putting a variety of recyclable materials into a plastic bag, then placing this into the recycling bin. A manual sorter will not go through a plastic bag in a recycling bin as it may contain dangerous goods such as broken glass. Many supermarkets have started a soft plastic recycling initiative where you can take your plastic bags to recycle – this is a great way to keep landfill to a minimum.
Pizza box recycling is determined by how much grease has contaminated the box. If it has cheese stuck to it, is severely stained with oil, or has food scraps in it, you won’t be able to place this inside your recycling bin. However, if there is only a tin bit of grease or none then this is fine.
Oil and grease are problems as they interfere with the heat and water processes used in the recycling process. These can contaminate or ruin the quality of the paper. Likewise, with other recyclable food storage items such as egg cartons, cans and boxes, ensure there are no food scraps left inside.