In our March issue, we ran the article, “Can I recycle that? Find Your Way Through the Rules of Recycling.” Although the article included a note that readers should check with their local waste management program to learn the rules in their community, we heard from several readers concerned with the article’s assertion that food containers and other recyclable materials do not need to be cleaned before tossing in the recycling bin.
For example, Stutzman Refuse handles the recycling for Bushton and nearby Kansas communities and it requires greasy pizza boxes to be tossed in the trash and not in the recycling containers as the article implied. Same goes for the City of Bazine. And Greely County. And most likely several others.
And how about those plastic peanut butter containers? Regardless of your penchant for smooth or super crunchy, several recyclers told us they need to be cleaned before recycling. The Greeley County Recycling Center in Tribune is county-owned and operated by volunteers, one of whom contacted me with concerns about the recycling article. The center collects a wide array of commodities including plastics, cardboards, aluminums, glass, dead vehicle batteries and other materials. However, containers need to be rinsed, including tin cans, and they ask that you do not include the lids for pop bottles, milk and orange juice jugs or detergent bottles and butter tubs. The article stated otherwise.
For a list of recyclers in or near your community, visit www.kansasrecycles.org/find-a-recycling-program. Most include contact information or a link to a website that offers a list of accepted commodities and how best to recycle them.
Thank you, readers, for sharing with me your local recycler’s preferences on recycling various materials.
