Residents, at one point or another, may have wondered to themselves whether the piece of garbage they are about to throw away should be recycled instead. The U.S. generates approximately 262 million tons of municipal solid waste annually, according to a report done by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The biggest portion of waste comes from consumer disposal of paper products, plastics, and food.
The Illinois EPA uses the example of how twelve trees are used to create one ton of newspaper, but recycling that one ton of paper can save enough energy to power a home for six months and save 7,000 gallons of water or reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one metric ton.
So, that leads into the question, if a product has that recycling arrows logo on it, does that mean it should be thrown into the recycling bin instead of the trash? To answer that question, one needs to look no further than to their waste disposal provider and in the case of Sun City, that would be Waste Management.
Waste Management has invested over $100 million per year to go toward more efficient recycling of post-consumer materials, according to Waste Management Vice President of recycling operations Brent Bell.
“Our investments in new facilities and improved technology set us up to successfully handle an increase in volumes from our great customers that are recycling right,” Bell said. “The technology and the behind-the-scenes insight allow us to process the highest quality material through an efficient process.”
One of Waste Management’s newest Material Recovery Facilities (MRF), which also serves as one of its largest research and development facilities with heavy automation, opened in Chicago in early 2020 and is expected to process more than 20,000 tons of recyclable goods a month. However, not every disposable item can be recycled regardless if it has the recycle logo on it.
Waste Management offers some simple tips residents can follow when it comes to properly recycling. Items such as clean and dry plastic bottles and containers, glass bottles and jars, cans, unsoiled paper and cardboard can be placed into the recycling bin.
Items including loose plastic bags and any food and liquids should not go into the recycling bin. Residents should also not place bagged recyclables into the bin as this can cause what is called “recycling contamination.” This means that the material of the plastic bag can spoil all of the recyclables, turning them into a load of trash. As a side note, plastic bags can get tangled in the equipment used to process recyclables which can pose a threat to worker safety.
Other materials that should not go into the recycling bin include household items such as clothing, shower curtains and furniture, polystyrene foam and plastic otherwise known as “to-go” containers and cups, and items known as tanglers. Tanglers are just as the name suggests, materials that can get tangled in machinery. Those are items like garden hoses, wires, and holiday lights, to name a few examples.
Kane county residents that are unsure if an item can be recycled in their curbside bin or not, can visit countyofkane.org/recycling to view their most current guidelines. McHenry County residents can refer to the McHenry County College Sustainability Center at (815) 479-7765 or visit them online at mchenry.edu/green.
