Recycle Lady: Types of plastics, information and chemical recycling

Dear Recycle Lady,

I’m new to the area and need clarification on how to separate items for recycling. Are cereal and other uncoated boxes considered paper or cardboard or neither? Can aluminum foil be included with tin and aluminum cans? Thank you for your help. Need Information

Dear Need Information,

Welcome to Greenbrier County and thanks for being an interested recycler. Cereal boxes, toothpaste boxes, and cardboard containers of all kinds are considered to be cardboard and can be recycled with cardboard. Just be sure they are clean and do not have food or oil stains. Boxes that are made to contain food, liquids, or semi-liquids are coated with wax to prevent leakage and thus are not recyclable. Unfortunately, aluminum foil is no longer recyclable. The company that purchases our aluminum cans will not take aluminum foil as most of it has become so thin that it disintegrates during processing. Aluminum cans are not recycled with tin cans, now more commonly called steel cans, as steel cans and aluminum cans are recycled differently. Steel requires a much higher heat for processing than is required for processing aluminum cans.

Dear Recycle Lady,

What is chemical recycling? No Chemical Knowledge

Dear No Chemical Knowledge,

According to the article, Chemical Recycling Plants Incinerate Plastic and Create Hazardous Waste, chemical recycling is a process promoted by the plastics industry as a means of reducing plastic waste. Chemical recycling facilities burn very large amounts of plastic waste into a small amount of building blocks for new plastic or for fuel. The process also generates very large amounts of hazardous waste. Instead of being a solution to plastic waste, Chemical Recycling is a health risk that will worsen the plastic waste problem. Plastic Environment groups are advocating for bans on the process and encouraging the production of less plastic as a way to reduce the amount of plastic waste. For more information go to: https://pirg.org/articles/chemical-recycling-what-it-is-and-what-it-definitely-is-not. 

Dear Recycle Lady,

Why can I put #1 plastic water bottles in a #1 plastics bin, but not #1 plastic clamshells? Nonbeliever

Dear Nonbeliever,

Most recycling centers across the country, including our local Recycling Center, accept only #1 plastic bottles and jugs. We accept #1 plastic bottles such as water bottles, and pop bottles, but not #1 plastics such as clamshells, cherry tomato containers, and plastic containers for baked goods. These two types of #1 plastics are chemically different, thus they melt at different temperatures. Plastics such as the #1 plastic clamshells are created using a method called thermoforming. This #1 plastic packaging is created by stretching a heated sheet of plastic over a mold of the desired shape. The result is plastic packaging that is lightweight, protects food and can be made into blister packs for medical packaging. Currently, companies are looking for ways to recycle thermoform packaging as it would help reduce the amount of plastic waste. 

Good News: Last Saturday, September 16, was International Coastal Cleanup Day. Over 17 million volunteers worldwide collected more than 350 million pounds of trash off ocean beaches. (fto.com)

Have questions about recycling, or interesting information about recycling? Send questions or requests to recyclelady@greenbrier-swa.com. Dear Recycle Lady is sponsored jointly by the Greenbrier Recycling Center and Greenworks Recycling.