Very Frustrated Recycler

**Guest57** · 06-24-2009, 01:20 AM

Alright, I have to 'vent' a bit here...my eldest daughter decided that we should recycle, ordered the recycle bin from the garbage company, and we proceeded to wash jars, cans, flatten our cereal boxes, etc...this is when the frustrating begins!
They do not accept ANY GLASS jars, even washed with the labels removed (Idaho doesn't recycle glass...HORRORS!!), cereal boxes and other cardboard containers are unrecyclable as it can only be CORRUGATED cardboard, and the only plastic containers they take are MILK CONTAINERS!! Am I just stupid or what?!?! Since when is glass not recyclable and isnt a juice bottle the same as a milk bottle?!
They accept my newspapers as well as my magazines (thank goodness!!) but what is up with the rest of the nonsense?!

**frugalfranny** · 06-24-2009, 02:00 AM

Each area is really different.

My area only takes number 2 plastic....(milk jugs) but won't take bleach jugs (also number 2) as they aren't clear. Are the juice jugs #2? I wish the companies would get 'their ducks in a row' on the plastic.

Crazy huh?

**fernykins** · 06-24-2009, 03:45 AM

Well I guess I'm glad I live where I do the recycling places take it all. I get 1.80 for soda cans and 94 cents for plastic and about 10 cent for glass this is by the pound........
Fern

**Momto2Boyz** · 06-24-2009, 06:55 AM

That is surprising that they take such a limited list. Some garbage companies have their own recycling facilities and some pay to ship it off to other companies. If they have a newer recycling progam and they own their own facility, they may only be able to recycle certain things.

DH is a recycler for Waste Management and I can tell you why they don't take bleach bottles! We aren't suppose to recycle bleach bottles either and I finally asked DH why and the answer made sense.

Bleach is the number one chemical that reacts with other chemicals and can start fires instantly. So if they toss a bleach bottle in their truck that has even a tablespoon of bleach still left in it, and it comes in contact with certain other chemicals, it can start a fire in their truck. Technically, they aren't even suppose to take them in the garbage either. They should go to the toxic waste recycling collections.

**craftypam** · 06-24-2009, 07:03 AM

Our recycling just upped the plastic they take. They didn't used to take 5 (cottage cheese, sour cream cartons) and nowthey do. They take clear glass; they used to take color but not anymore. Our does only take corrugated cardboard too.

**Monner 1** · 06-24-2009, 07:04 AM

Our recycling is wonderful. They take any glass and most of the plastics and metal and corrugated cardboard. We don't even have to remove the labels. We live outside the city and they pick up twice a month. Supposedly our landfill is a state of the art which was achieved by forward thinking. Don't give up it seems that they should be getting on board pretty soon.

Monner

**elphie** · 06-24-2009, 07:09 AM

Wow, that is a limited list. Is there a place you can take the rest of your things nearby? I would love it if our garbage company took even some of our recycling... we have to take it to the facility ourselves which is about 30 miles from us. The do take pretty much everything but it is sometimes a pain letting it all pile up in the garage until we are going that way anyway (we figure it doesn't help the environment if we are burning extra fossil fuels to take it in, lol).

**stinkbug** · 06-24-2009, 09:26 AM

I'm in Boise and they've never recycled glass curb side...but you can take it to the area recyclers and turn it in there. They are just starting a new program where you don't have to sort your recyleables anymore (curbside) and will pick up every two weeks instead of every week.
It may be that your area is too small and doesn't have the facilities??.

**akolb** · 06-24-2009, 10:31 AM

wow. makes me thankful for our automated curbside. we just recently switched to approx 50 gallon bins and can recycle practically everything! still have to fight with my roomies to get them to use it...ongoing battle.

**geckoace** · 06-24-2009, 03:25 PM

from what i understand glass (although infinitely recyclable) is comparatively expensive to recycle and there often aren't plants close enough.
i think it just depends on what they can handle in your area, our city's program has changed drastically in the last 3 years and the city just realized they could save tons of $$ by having more recyclables and less landfill stuff so our program takes almost anything

**McD** · 06-24-2009, 06:08 PM

Before my city switched to the new automated curbside, our recycling system was very limited in what we could or could not recycle as well as how our bin how to be packed.

Now we have a 96 gallon bin and can just toss stuff in! I am filling that thing to the brim!

**FrugalMomof3** · 06-24-2009, 07:12 PM

Wow, I thought glass jars with the recycle sign on the bottom were recycle-able? Our city picks up everything, thank goodness. We always have tons of recycles to hand over, reduces our trash too!

**McD** · 06-24-2009, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by FrugalMomof3

Wow, I thought glass jars with the recycle sign on the bottom were recycle-able? Our city picks up everything, thank goodness. We always have tons of recycles to hand over, reduces our trash too!

Tracy, they are recyclble but they city may not have the capabilities or the resource to recycle it, kwim?

**strezzed** · 06-25-2009, 12:03 AM

This makes me thankful also for our city recycling and organic waste programs. We have very little trash these days.

**frugalfranny** · 06-25-2009, 12:13 AM

Originally Posted by Momto2Boyz

Bleach is the number one chemical that reacts with other chemicals and can start fires instantly. So if they toss a bleach bottle in their truck that has even a tablespoon of bleach still left in it, and it comes in contact with certain other chemicals, it can start a fire in their truck. Technically, they aren't even suppose to take them in the garbage either. They should go to the toxic waste recycling collections.

Thanks for posting that. I had no idea. They take ours in the trash but I will be extra careful about washing it out now.