Every year:
With co-mingled recycling collection in our neighborhoods, recycling is easier than ever. Clean paper, cardboard, glass, metal and plastic can all be placed in the same bins for pick up. However, it is important to follow a few rules of thumb and avoid “wishcycling” (placing items that you think should be recyclable but actually aren’t) to ensure items are recycled as they should be. For example, don’t place anything in your mixed recycling that is smaller than a credit card. Too much food residue makes otherwise recyclable items unrecyclable, so rinse them briefly in cold water before placing them in your bin.
Recycled waste from our community is sent to various recycling centers where the materials are processed to be reused. For co-mingled recycling to be economically and environmentally successful, it is critical to keep items out that cause sorting centers problems. Anything that is rope-like can get stuck in the gears and rollers of the sorting machines, causing jams, and should be avoided in the bins: plastic bags, trash bags, extension cords, Christmas light cords, wire, rope. Anything that is perishable or biological or hazardous can destroy the value of the recycling. A little contamination can ruin a lot of recycling. Avoid: food, oil, blood, dirty diapers, chemicals, pesticides, paint, sharp pieces of metal. To prevent plastic bags from causing jams in the sorting machinery, place your recycling loose in the recycling bin rather than contained in a plastic trash bag.
Many materials are recyclable, but have to be taken to specific drop-off locations because curb-side recycling is not designed to handle them. Electronics and compact fluorescent light bulbs contain heavy metals and toxins that should be kept out of the waste stream, so bring them to recycling events or businesses that offer recycling to dispose of them properly. Check out the aFewSteps Recycling list for some locations and information on specific items. Plastic bags can be dropped off at most grocery stores for recycling.
Some materials are very valuable to recyclers and will almost certainly get recycled and some things are not very valuable and will almost certainly not get recycled. Bringing your paper, cardboard, and aluminum to Swarthmore’s Recycling Center assures that those recyclable materials will be successfully recycled and reduces the overall cost to the Borough. Notably, pizza boxes cannot be placed in curb-side recycling due to food contamination but are accepted in the paper recycling at Swarthmore’s Recycling Center.
Below is a qualitative guide to what recyclers value most and least, based on curb-side single-stream service (not recycling center values):
These have negative value:
You can reduce your production of glass and plastic waste by purchasing drinks in aluminum cans instead.
According to Earth911.org (a terrific website for recycling ideas) the primary reason people say they choose not to recycle is a lack of convenience and a lack of clarity about what exactly can be recycled. Fortunately, recycling in our community is convenient and (hopefully) clear. For more clarity about what can and can’t be recycled in your neighborhood, please check out the following local recycling links:
Nether Providence and Wallingford
Rose Valley
Rutledge
Swarthmore
Delaware county Household Hazardous Waste disposal
- Nearly 900 million trees are cut down to provide raw materials for American paper and pulp mills.
- Americans throw away about 28 billion bottles and jars every year.
- Americans make more than 200 million tons of garbage each year, enough to fill Lincoln Financial Field from top to bottom twice a day.
- Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam cups. Even 500 years from now, the foam coffee cup you used this morning will be sitting in a landfill.
With co-mingled recycling collection in our neighborhoods, recycling is easier than ever. Clean paper, cardboard, glass, metal and plastic can all be placed in the same bins for pick up. However, it is important to follow a few rules of thumb and avoid “wishcycling” (placing items that you think should be recyclable but actually aren’t) to ensure items are recycled as they should be. For example, don’t place anything in your mixed recycling that is smaller than a credit card. Too much food residue makes otherwise recyclable items unrecyclable, so rinse them briefly in cold water before placing them in your bin.
Recycled waste from our community is sent to various recycling centers where the materials are processed to be reused. For co-mingled recycling to be economically and environmentally successful, it is critical to keep items out that cause sorting centers problems. Anything that is rope-like can get stuck in the gears and rollers of the sorting machines, causing jams, and should be avoided in the bins: plastic bags, trash bags, extension cords, Christmas light cords, wire, rope. Anything that is perishable or biological or hazardous can destroy the value of the recycling. A little contamination can ruin a lot of recycling. Avoid: food, oil, blood, dirty diapers, chemicals, pesticides, paint, sharp pieces of metal. To prevent plastic bags from causing jams in the sorting machinery, place your recycling loose in the recycling bin rather than contained in a plastic trash bag.
Many materials are recyclable, but have to be taken to specific drop-off locations because curb-side recycling is not designed to handle them. Electronics and compact fluorescent light bulbs contain heavy metals and toxins that should be kept out of the waste stream, so bring them to recycling events or businesses that offer recycling to dispose of them properly. Check out the aFewSteps Recycling list for some locations and information on specific items. Plastic bags can be dropped off at most grocery stores for recycling.
Some materials are very valuable to recyclers and will almost certainly get recycled and some things are not very valuable and will almost certainly not get recycled. Bringing your paper, cardboard, and aluminum to Swarthmore’s Recycling Center assures that those recyclable materials will be successfully recycled and reduces the overall cost to the Borough. Notably, pizza boxes cannot be placed in curb-side recycling due to food contamination but are accepted in the paper recycling at Swarthmore’s Recycling Center.
Below is a qualitative guide to what recyclers value most and least, based on curb-side single-stream service (not recycling center values):
- Aluminum cans: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- #2 plastic, clear (milk jugs, etc.): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- #1 plastic: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- #2 plastic colored (laundry detergent): ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- #5 plastic (yogurt containers): ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Clean mixed paper and cardboard: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Steel cans: ⭐️⭐️
- Hard plastic containers (cat litter, buckets, etc.): ⭐️⭐️
- Other plastics: ⭐️
These have negative value:
- Mixed glass (clear, green, brown combined): minus ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Trash (hoses, plastic bags, food waste, food-covered paper, food-filled containers, strings of lights, rope, etc.): minus ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Hazardous waste (propane tanks, paint cans, pesticide containers, needles, dirty diapers, etc.): minus ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You can reduce your production of glass and plastic waste by purchasing drinks in aluminum cans instead.
According to Earth911.org (a terrific website for recycling ideas) the primary reason people say they choose not to recycle is a lack of convenience and a lack of clarity about what exactly can be recycled. Fortunately, recycling in our community is convenient and (hopefully) clear. For more clarity about what can and can’t be recycled in your neighborhood, please check out the following local recycling links:
Nether Providence and Wallingford
Rose Valley
Rutledge
Swarthmore
Delaware county Household Hazardous Waste disposal
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