Paper/Plastic Recycling

[RockyD]

Buffy you are a mine of information. Yes we all need to wash and crush for recycling. I see a person putting out recycling bags and they could have about 7 for collection if they crushed they may have 2. No logic to this the bags here cost about €3 each.

Plastic bottles, cereal boxes ,washing powder boxes, they take up alot of space in a bag. Crush it and you would get 3 to 4 times as much in.

I really feel for the persons sorting. We should think of them when we drop an unwashed item in a bin/bag.

[Naillij]

hey i always wash and crush but have a question on recycling. what about yoghurt pots? can these be recycled? and all of them or some? some are papery material (eg irish yogurts), some are light plastic (eg yoplait) and some are heavy plastic (cant think of the name but some expensive ones i bought in tescos half price a few weeks ago!).

Someone told me once if you look at the bottom of plastic containers where there is the recycling symbol with a number inside, that it is only the 1's and 2's that can be added to our recycling bin, is this true?
thanks in advance!
Jill

[smokeyeyes]

I wash everything out before placing in recycling bin. Could you imagine the pong from plastic milk bottles a few weeks later ?! As other posters have said crush the milk containers as small as possible and replace lid, cutting down on volume. Also wash those plastic trays/containers that meat comes packed in and remove the absorbant paper that is stuck in bottom. Would imagine that whole load would be contaminated if you don't do this as any food deposits would rot the rest of recyclables. Recycling can only work if done properly.

I even wash jam/marmalade jars in dishwasher before putting in glass bin ! and place plastic/tin lids in recycling bin. I would think that all yogurt cartons are recyclable, as some are plastic and others are like tetra.

Another tip is if you have say a cereal box to recycle and you have lots of items to place in bin while preparing food (such as packaging) I generally crush items and scrunch loads into box before placing in Green bin, therefore taking up less space in my recycle bin.

[unapam]

That info. is great. I have found out some of the things I was unsure of. Well done!

[TheBear]

Originally Posted by Naillij

Someone told me once if you look at the bottom of plastic containers where there is the recycling symbol with a number inside, that it is only the 1's and 2's that can be added to our recycling bin, is this true?
thanks in advance!
Jill

There are seven different types of plastic, and different recycling facilities accept different types. For instance, the ones you can put into the Dublin City Council green bin is different from the ones that can be accepted in the DCC Bring Centre closest to us, which again differs from the plastics accepted by Panda within DCC.

This link explains the different types of plastic. I think pretty much all of the seven types can be recycled in different places around Dublin, but I think driving around the city to do the recycling in seven places defeats the purpose in terms of petrol used.

This does bring me to a pet peev of mine, which is about labelling of packaging. Most plastics use one of the recycling symbols, but what about crisp packets, for instance: they're foil, coated in plastic. Are they recycled as plastic or as metal? They have the little symbol saying that they're recyclable, but without more information, we're (or at least, I am) at a loss as to how to recycle it. Another example: I noticed in work that the 'paper' which surrounds reams of Xerox printing paper has the plastic code 7 on it. It's paper, coated with wax or plastic to make it stronger, which means you can't recycle it as paper. Just including that information means I was saved from contaminating a recycling stream. Wouldn't it be better if the Dept of Environment (or the EU, maybe) brought in a system whereby all packaging would include a code telling people what type of material it was made from, thereby telling people how to recycle it? It's not as if the info has to have a dominant position or anything.

I've been thinking of sending a letter to the Dept on this issue, but haven't quite got around to it yet. Maybe this thread will provide the push needed.

[Naillij]

sorry now but another question, our green bin says it takes envelopes, does it just mean plain paper ones? should i tear out the little plastic window on bank ones etc? and what about padded envelopes? got 2 today, do i just bin them?

[smokeyeyes]

Hi Naillij, personally I just place them entirely into the green bin.

The Bear: Don't know if i'm understanding you correctly, but are you saying that you must put all your paper together as well as all your different plastics etc..? I just place all recyclables in Green bin. There was no directions from our service providers to say that we must do the sorting for them. Just recycle everything you can!

[TheBear]

Originally Posted by smokeyeyes

Hi Naillij, personally I just place them entirely into the green bin.

The Bear: Don't know if i'm understanding you correctly, but are you saying that you must put all your paper together as well as all your different plastics etc..? I just place all recyclables in Green bin. There was no directions from our service providers to say that we must do the sorting for them. Just recycle everything you can!

The green bin where we were living last year didn't take any sort of plastic, so we had to pay attention to where we were putting everything. All the paper in the green bin, all the plastic and glass brought to the Bring Centre. I know that people who live in areas where there aren't kerbside collections have to bring their waste to their local recycling centre, where they have to separate it into the different bins.

[smokeyeyes]

Didn't realise that Bear. Our green bins take everything now. In the beginning we couldn't put tetra/plastic bottles in them. So we had no choice but to put them in black bin because our bi-monthly collection in local car park didn't take them either. But even then we didn't have to sort anything out, just brought it all down and they did the sorting.

[sweensie]

I noticed at the weekend in our local supermarket that they now have little boxes at the end of the tills (the bit where your groceries go so you can pack them) where you can recycle your used batteries!
I think this is great, batteries are always a problem to recycle, so it will be great to be able to bring them to the supermarket to dispose of them properly.

[TheBear]

Originally Posted by sweensie

I noticed at the weekend in our local supermarket that they now have little boxes at the end of the tills (the bit where your groceries go so you can pack them) where you can recycle your used batteries!
I think this is great, batteries are always a problem to recycle, so it will be great to be able to bring them to the supermarket to dispose of them properly.

Yeah, this is an EU initiative, part of the WEEE. Anywhere that sells batteries has to collect batteries of the same type for recycling.

[RockyD]

Yes I have seen these in a few places. The local schools have been collecting them all last year. to get some award for the amount they recycle. children would take the good ones on you to get the most going into school its great they are aware. but I think it is to be the one with the most not for the recycling value.

[chaos]

Hi. most of the above posts apply to Dublin.

Is anybody in Cork as knowledgeable about resources here?

We dutifully put out our recycling bag every fortnight, but the council can't or won't take all recyclables.
I need enlightenment on:

FABRIC RECYCLING. Mostly unwearable, but clean clothes, beyond charity shop use ( ie with an odd stain, broken zip or rip-yes, I know I should be mending them...)

CHEMICALS. I think there are a few collections per year around the City in mobile units. Other than listed in the Echo etc, is there an online list ?

BATTERIES. I haven't seen battery collection boxes in supermarkets here. Was it only a school initiative ? If it's a UN directive, why aren't they in Tesco etc, or am I just unobservant?

Thanks.

[smokeyeyes]

Originally Posted by chaos

Hi. most of the above posts apply to Dublin.

Is anybody in Cork as knowledgeable about resources here?

We dutifully put out our recycling bag every fortnight, but the council can't or won't take all recyclables.
I need enlightenment on:

FABRIC RECYCLING. Mostly unwearable, but clean clothes, beyond charity shop use ( ie with an odd stain, broken zip or rip-yes, I know I should be mending them...)

CHEMICALS. I think there are a few collections per year around the City in mobile units. Other than listed in the Echo etc, is there an online list ?

BATTERIES. I haven't seen battery collection boxes in supermarkets here. Was it only a school initiative ? If it's a UN directive, why aren't they in Tesco etc, or am I just unobservant?

Thanks.

Chaos, as regards the batteries, as far as i know all the Tesco's have these, if they don't ask about them.

Chemicals: Contact your local County Council
http://www.corkcoco.ie/co/web/Cork%2...e%20Management

http://www.corkcorp.ie/ourservices/e...steoperations/

Clothes: What about clothes banks ? Anything that's not in good enough condition to be worn is recycled for industrial cleaning rags as far as I know.

Hope this helps you.

[chaos]

Hi Smokey Eyes,

Thanks for that. I wasn't sure if the clothes banks were just for wearable clothes. That's good to know.

I see on the news that the recycling industry is in big trouble. Not too encouraging to hear.