CONSUMER ALERTS

August 2009

Recycling for a greener way of life

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 75 percent of our waste is recyclable. If you’re among the approximately 268 million people who have access to curb-side or recycling programs, it’s important to know what can be recycled and what to do with random items that cannot go in curb-side bins. Here’s a partial checklist; you’ll find a more comprehensive one, as well as other green tips, in the Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC)’s Consumer Focus news article Going Green: What Can You Do? at http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cfocus/cfgogreen09/focus.htm:

• Aluminum: Thoroughly rinse foil or cans, and either put in a recycle bin or find a recycling center.
  
• Glass: Glass bottles should not be mixed with other types of glass such as windows, light bulbs, mirrors, glass tableware, or auto glass. To avoid risk of injury, do not put broken glass in recycling containers.
• Household toxics: Items such as poisons, paints, oil, solvents, automotive fluids, cleaners, and herbicides must not be dumped into regular garbage. Water seeps through landfills and toxins can end up in the water table. If you have toxics to dispose of, contact a local recycling center—most have household drop-off days.
• Packing peanuts: Many packing stores will take your “used” peanuts, but call ahead first. Drop them  off packed in a plastic bag. They have little recycling potential, but can be reused.
• Paper: Most types can be recycled. Collect large quantities of clean, well-sorted, uncontaminated and dry product. It goes in your recycling bin at the curb to be picked up by your city’s service.
• Plastic: The plastic industry has developed a SPI (Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc.) resin identification coding system; the codes can usually be found on the bottoms of plastic bottles to identify their polymer type. Your bin at home should only have plastics that your local recycling agency accepts. Usually, types 1 and 2 are widely accepted in container form. Contact your local sanitation department for current information.
• Refrigerators, heat pumps and air conditioners: All these contain freon, a chemical known as chlorofluorocarbon (CFC). Before disposing of any of these appliances, make sure the CFCs are first drained out and recycled. You may also be able to arrange for a curb-side pick-up, sometimes at no charge. If you are disposing of a refrigerator curb-side, be sure to secure it shut so that children or animals do not get trapped inside.
• Single-use batteries: Once recommended for the trash, increasingly these batteries are collected. Check with a recycling center near you.
• Other items: Unwanted household goods such as small appliances (functioning ones), tableware, clothing, furniture, toys, sports equipment, and books can have a life again if you donate them to charity. Contact local thrift stores, consignment shops, or non-profit organizations to see what they might want to take off your hands.