Imagine carrying around your trash in a bag for two days.
A new 4-H project titled “Be A Sustainability Hero!” asks members to do just that. Instructions say, “Carry your trash with you for two days to see how the littlest of items can add up. Start on Saturday morning and put everything in your bag that you would normally throw away, compost, or recycle. On Sunday evening, separate the compost and recycling and take a picture or make a list of everything in your bag.”
Can any of those items be reused or repurposed? What can be recycled? The exercise is an effort to help 4-H’ers learn to be more aware of the waste they generate and ways to reduce their impact on the planet and encourage others to do the same.
Today, Global Recycling Day, carries the same message. The day brings together people around the world to promote sustainable practices and highlight the benefits of recycling.
In order to increase recycling, it is important to know what is recyclable. Here are guidelines from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Recyclables - Plastic, glass, cans, paper, cardboard
The types of plastic most recyclable are 1, 2 and 5. These include beverage bottles, detergent jugs and to-go clamshells. To identify the plastic type, look at the number inside the chasing arrows usually located on the bottom of an item. Typically, the caps and labels can be left on the bottles.
Glass, especially glass food and beverage containers, can be recycled over and over again. Making new glass from recycled glass is typically cheaper than using raw materials.
Before recycling these items, make sure they are empty, clean and dry before throwing them in your recycling bin.
Broken glass should not go into the recycling gin. Glass shards can harm workers and damage equipment. Metal bottle caps should be recycled separately from the glass bottles.
Generally, aluminum cans should not be crushed before they are put in the recycle bin, and aluminum foil can be recycled. Make sure to remove any food residue before recycling.
Dry paper and cardboard are valuable recyclables. These include old printer paper, newspaper and magazines. Cardboard boxes should be flattened before placing them in the bin.
Things that can't be recycled
Try donating books if they are in good condition. If the book is not in usable condition, it can be recycled. Paperback books can be recycled as- is; remove the cover from a hardcover book before recycling it.
Paper gift wrap often is not recyclable when it has a shiny or laminated coating. If you use gift wrap, purchase a type that can be recycled or is made from recycled content. EPA encourages consumers to reuse gift bags, boxes, and tissue paper. Newspaper is an excellent alternative gift wrap.
While some of us have the best intentions about recycling, we aren’t always doing it right. One contaminant can lead to an entire truckload of perfectly recyclable items being sent to a landfill.
Eight common items you can’t recycle are plastic bags, toys, clothing, furniture and mattresses, disposable diapers, foam take-out containers, yard debris, and pizza boxes soiled in grease and cheese. If the top half of a pizza box is oil-and food-free, tear it off, recycle that part and throw away the rest.
Every small action adds up. We can all do our part to create a more sustainable world. If you would like more information on the 4-H “Be A Sustainability Hero!” project book #651, call our office at 330-264-8722.
Laurie Sidle is an Ohio State University Extension Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H program assistant and may be reached at 330-264-8722 or sidle.31@osu.edu
CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. For more information, visit cfaesdiversity.osu.edu
This article was previously published in The Daily Record.