Did you know that the recycling facilities industry in the United States is worth more than $10 billion every year? There are almost 1,500 of these facilities around the country. More than 24,000 people work at them so that we can recycle our used possessions.
Unfortunately, many people still commit certain common mistakes with recycling. Most of the time, people do this only because they are not familiar with all of the different recycling rules. The better you understand the rules of recycling, the more likely that the material you try to recycle will actually get recycled and made into something new.
So what are some of the most common mistakes that people make with recycling? Read on to learn all about these common recycling mistakes and how you can avoid them!
1. Failing to Learn State Recycling Laws
Most people learn recycling at home and then never learn much more about it. However, if you move to a different state, the recycling laws might be different. On top of that, the recycling laws in your own state might update as the years go by.
If you want your recycling to be as efficient as possible, make sure to learn about the latest updates to your state's recycling laws.
2. Recycling Plastic Materials the Wrong Way
Knowing how to recycle paper is much easier than knowing how to recycle plastic. A lot of people are still making the mistake of trying to recycle all kinds of plastic as if they were the same.
There are certain kinds of plastic that cannot get recycled at all. Other kinds of plastic need to be separated so that they can go through separate recycling processes. If you mix all of these plastics together, you might keep any of them from being recycled at all!
3. Trying to Recycle Tiny Items
If you try to recycle things that are smaller than a Post-It note, they will be thrown into the trash rather than recycled. You might think that you are trying to be a good citizen when you are trying to recycle even the tiniest things. However, our current recycling processes are not set up to manage such small items.
On the other hand, some people have a lot of stuff built up at home that they need to get rid of. It often helps them to find a waste, garbage and recycling service to assist them.
4. Trying to Recycle Without Cleaning
Many people eat on disposable plates and then try to recycle them without cleaning them first. The cost of recycling goes way up when people try recycling plastic materials with food waste still on them.
5. Putting Broken Glass in the Bin
If you put broken glass out to be recycled, someone might get hurt by accident. If you try to recycle broken glass you need to make sure that it is wrapped or boxed up so that no one cuts themselves on it by accident.
Understand How to Avoid the Most Common Mistakes With Recycling
The more you learn about avoiding common mistakes with recycling, the more efficient your own recycling will be. That can decrease your own total consumption as well as the total consumption of our society.
To learn more about the latest information in recycling, business, and more, have a look at our other articles!
