Recycling

The Fayette County Extension Office has just updated the Fayette County recycling resources. Please click on this link to download a complete recycling guide that will list recycling facilities and what they accept.

Fayette County Recycling Guide *

How can I improve the way I recycle?

To reduce contamination and improve recycling efficiency, wash and smash!
Wash

Scrape out any food remains/pour away excess liquid.
Rinse the container (use your washing-up water)
Don't use the dishwasher – no need to waste resources to achieve an unnecessary level of cleanliness!

Smash

Crush metal cans.
Squeeze plastic bottles flat to expel as much air as possible.

These steps help prevent contamination and reduce the volume of material, making collections more energy efficient.

What about lids, rings and labels?

If you can remove labels and lids from glass jars and bottles, that's great, but don't worry too much because, in the recycling process, the items are re-washed. After crushing, any non-glass objects are removed.

Removing the caps and lids from plastic containers is more important. Plastic caps are often made from a different polymer type, and therefore have a different melting point when compared to the plastic used for the bottle itself. Too many lids will contaminate the load, so remove and throw away plastic caps where possible. The plastic ring around the neck of the bottle can be left on - a minimal amount of contamination is tolerated.

Remove paper clips, staples and plastic envelope windows from paper. Also remove excessive amounts of tape and labeling from cardboard packaging. Small amounts won't affect the recycling process.

What kinds of paper can I recycle?

Paper fibers cannot be recycled if they are contaminated with food. Here are a few tips:

Put greasy wrappers into your compost/main trash.

Tear out contaminated portions (e.g. a cheesy pizza box lid), and recycle the clean remainder.

It is best to keep paper dry until collection day. If the paper does get wet, it is not fatal.

How do I know what I can recycle?

Check out recycling provisions in your area. There are several resources on the web. One of the more popular is Earth911.org. You can also contact your local authority for details. Ask to speak to the Recycling Officer. We have also compiled an updated list for Fayette County and you can get to it from this website.

Plastics are a particular area of confusion. Technically, almost all plastics can be recycled, but the collection infrastructure and low market demand are barriers to the recycling of some types. Blended polymers are particularly costly to recycle, so yogurt pots, for example, are not usually collected because they are made from a mixture of polymers.

TYPES OF PLASTICS
Almost all plastic bottles are made from one of these plastics:

PET (bottled for fizzy drinks, cordial, cooking oil)

HDPE (bottled for milk & fruit juice, washing-up liquid, fabric conditioner)

PVC (bottles for still mineral water, toiletries, cordial)

The American Chemistry Council has a detailed list of the common types of plastic and the identifying symbols you will find on the packaging. Alternatively, you can download and print out their handy table to keep by your recycling bin from our website.

http://www.nrc-recycle.org/americarecycles.aspx

For additional information – go to www.earth911.org