Five Common Mistakes You Make When You Recycle

Climate and environment blog

Do you ensure that you are recycling correctly? Are you throwing everything in the right place and preparing each package before disposing it?

Mistake 1:To throw envelopes in the newspaper collection.

An envelope is actually not counted as packaging, and only packaging is collected at the recycling stations. But the big problem is that the adhesive on the envelope slams the machines used for recycling. Envelopes should instead be thrown with ordinary flammable household garbage.

Mistake 2:

Throwing light bulbs, drinking glasses, mirrors and porcelain (or even porcelain dumbbells) into the glass recycling.
Partly it is not a packaging, and partly the recycled glass becomes of poorer quality when bottles and glass jars are mixed with other glass.

But it takes some effort to sort these things right:

  • Incandescent lamps are electrical waste and are received at special stations or in shops that sell electrical equipment.
  • Drinking glasses, mirrors and even window glass receive the municipal recycling centers.
  • Crushed porcelain plates and porcelain bins should be sorted as “non-combustible” at a recycling center.

Mistake 3: Throwing newspapers that are too old.

Well, magazines can actually get too old to be recycled. After about three months, the ink has dried and the paper is too old for recycling. The same goes for newsprint that has yellowed in the sun.

Mistake 4: Not to leave empty spray bottles for recycling.

It is excellent to leave spray bottles (containing for example hair spray) in metal recycling. But then they have to be little-empty. This means that no more come out of the bottle or jar when you press the spray button.

Mistake 5: giving up sorting when packaging is made of different materials.

Most packages can be sorted, but it is not always easy to understand how. The basic rule is that the packaging is sorted by the part that weighs the most. A carton with a small plastic detail on it should thus be sorted as a carton.

You should never use tools to disassemble the packaging.

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