Globally, we produce 2 billion tonnes of waste every year. Every day, each person generates between 0.11 to 4.54 kilograms of waste. And while individually we’re not entirely to blame for this, we still have a responsibility to manage ourselves and our waste sustainably. We live in a global single-use product society with capitalism at the centre, making recycling and reusing products difficult, but not impossible. With each municipality having its own local rules, recycling can be really confusing. To help, we’ve gathered our top 10 tips for easy recycling at home.
1. Learn Your Local Rules
Not the most fun point to start with, but one of the simplest ways to make recycling easier is to learn your local recycling rules. Not everything is recyclable everywhere. Each municipality has access to different recycling facilities, each with their own rules. Just because you can recycle milk jugs in one town, doesn’t mean you can do it in another. Most areas list their recycling rules online but you can also take a trip to your local recycling facility to get even more familiar with the process. Keep special note of what can’t be recycled to avoid contaminating anything that could be recycled.
2. Put Multiple Bins In Multiple Rooms
Starting with your main garbage area, keep a separate bin for each category of recyclable. At the very least, one for plastic containers and one for organic waste. Some areas also need you to separate your glass jars and bottles, others might want paper and cardboard separate too. Depending on your local rules and how much space you have will determine how many bins you need. To make it even easier to recycle, keep smaller recycling bins in different rooms in your home. A plastic container or paper waste bin in your bathroom and bedroom can help keep recycling easy and within reach.
3. Label Your Bins
Next on our list of 10 tips for easy recycling at home is labeling your bins. This can be particularly useful if you have a few bins and you regularly have guests. You can keep it simple by labeling plastic containers, paper, organics, glass and landfill. Or you can add a bit more detail and examples about what might go in each bin e.g. plastic containers (milk jug, detergent, water bottle). Taking away any confusion about what goes where helps the right stuff get recycled and avoid ending up in a landfill.
4. Know Your Plastics
Not all plastics are created equally and some of them are pretty hard to recycle. Most plastic containers have a number inside a recycling sign printed on them. This number is a resin identification code and tells you what kind of plastic you have on your hands. The numbers range from 1-7, with 1 and 2 being the most widely recycled plastics. Plastic numbered 3-7 isn’t typically accepted by curbside pickup and needs to go to a speciality recycling centre. Copy, save or print out our cheatsheet for plastic recycling and keep it by your bins to easily know what to recycle. You could even stick in on your bin for extra visibility.
5. Don’t Mix Materials
While individually materials like paper and plastic might be easy to recycle, when they’re combined it becomes much more difficult. Something like a paper cup might look recyclable, but it’s lined with plastic to keep it waterproof. To recycle this cup, the paper and plastic need to be separated, something that’s almost impossible to do. Unfortunately items like paper cups, toothpaste and juice cartons almost always end up in a landfill. To avoid contaminating the rest of your recyclables, check your local rules and make sure you’re not putting mixed materials where they shouldn’t be.
6. Wash Your Empties
Next on our list of 10 tips for easy recycling at home is washing your empties. Washing dishes is the last thing most people want to do, especially when that “dish” is just going in the bin. But keeping your recyclable containers clean and dry is key to getting them recycled easily. In the US food waste contaminates 25% of recyclables, sending them directly to landfills. The general rule is to clean your container as if you were going to use it again. This keeps any food or liquid residue to a minimum and increases the chance of your empties getting recycled. You also get an added bonus of a much cleaner bin and no wildlife rooting through your bins at night looking for that last bit of peanut butter.
7. Keep It Loose
Throw your recyclables directly into your bin, not a bag. Plastic bags aren’t sorted easily and get caught in sorting machines. Some areas can’t even accept recyclables if they’re inside a plastic bag, they just go straight to a landfill. Unfortunately most areas don’t have a curb-side option for plastic bags either. Research what’s available in your area, some have local facilities to collect and recycle plastic bags.
8. No Small Stuff
Next on our list of 10 tips for easy recycling at home is not recycling small stuff. Keep anything smaller than a credit card out of your recycling. Small items like straws and coffee capsules are too small for sorting machines and end up clogging the machinery instead. That coffee capsule might say that it’s recyclable but most residential facilities can’t recycle it. Research your local area and see if you have a recycling option available. If not, to the landfill it goes.
9. Break Down Cardboard
Make sure to break down any cardboard boxes before putting them in the recycling. Boxes are bulky and take up too much space in your bins and at the recycling facility. This is especially important if you share a recycling bin with others. Don’t be that neighbour taking up all the space with your non-broken down boxes. Your local recycling facility will also thank you for saving them space, time and energy.
10. Buy Reusable, Recycled And Recyclable
In the United States, people recycle about 32% of their things. Knowing what you can recycle is key and where possible buying items that you know are reusable, recyclable or recycled can be a game changer. Not everything has a recyclable or sustainable option available but switching can help you personally reduce your landfill contributions. Things aren’t going to change overnight but voting with your wallet and showing the industry that alternatives are in demand is an important message to send.
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