Recycling has become an increasingly hot topic as the planet heats up and information about the broken recycling system grows. Thanks to one TikToker, you can learn the facts about some recycling foibles, and it will take less than a minute.
The scoop
In a video shared by the sustainability account Grove Collaborative (@grovecollaborative), several recycling myths are broken down in just 51 seconds.
@grovecollaborative Recycling can be super confusing, right? We're here to make it easy and help you toss things the right way! ♻️ #recyclingmatters #howtorecycle #grovecollaborative #ecolivingtips #ecofriendlytips #mythsdebunked #plasticfree #plasticpollution #sustainabilityyourway #sustainablehome ♬ lucid echoes - choppy.wav
"Recycling can be super confusing, right?" the video's caption reads. "We're here to make it easy and help you toss things the right way!"
Pizza boxes? "Ultimately, yes," the narrator says before further explaining that the box has to be clean and not "contaminated" with grease and food residue. "Contaminated means toss it," they explain.
They explain that glass can be recycled as long as you rinse it and remove the lid. Receipts can not be recycled despite paper generally being highly recyclable because the thermal paper they are printed on makes it difficult. Plastic snack bags are a no as they get caught in recycling machines.
The narrator wraps up by saying that, above all else, it's best to avoid as many hard-to-recycle items as possible by choosing reusable alternatives — like reusable tote bags at the grocery store, reusable snack bags, or even glass or aluminum versions of everyday items that are much more likely to end up being recycled.
How it's working
Knowing how to properly dispose of items helps ensure that what ends up in the recycling can actually be recycled, and that items that don't belong there don't contaminate otherwise good loads.
The Environmental Protection Agency reports that American households produce nearly 300 million tons of trash per year. That's around five pounds of trash per person per day. Once in landfills, this trash decomposes, creating toxic gases that greatly contribute to the dangerous overheating of the planet.
Much of it also makes its way into our oceans and other ecosystems, harming wildlife and human health. All this considered, sharing information on how to make sure as much waste as possible actually gets recycled goes a long way in keeping more waste out of landfills and pollution out of the environment.
🗣️ What confuses you most about recycling protocol?
🔘 Which materials I can recycle 📦
🔘 How clean the material needs to be 🧼
🔘 What the plastic numbers mean ♻️
🔘 Nothing at all 😇
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
What people are saying
Commenters on the post were thankful for the dos and don'ts.
"The amount of greasy boxes I've tossed in the recycling bin," said one, to which Grove Collaborative replied, "You may be able to compost it in your green, organics container instead."
"Thank you for this video," said another.
"Super helpful video!" agreed one more.
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