Click to edit Master title style Recycling Mythbusters Updated: June 2014

Click to edit Master title style Curbside Collection Multiple Categories Now: Single Sort

Click to edit Master title style Depends on the hauler To find out what your hauler accepts, check with: – The hauler – Your city – Your county What do Haulers Accept Curbside? search curbside recycling

Click to edit Master title style Accepted Curbside: Paper & Cardboard Mail, office and school papers Magazines and catalogs Newspapers and inserts Phone books Shredded paper Cereal & cracker boxes Shoe boxes, gift boxes, electronics boxes Toothpaste, medication & other toiletry boxes Prep: Staples, plastic “windows” ok, shredded paper in closed paper bags (staple shut)

Click to edit Master title styleAccepted Curbside: Containers Food and beverage bottles and jars Soup, broth & wine cartons Milk cartons Juice boxes Food cans Beverage cans Prep: Metal lids ok, labels are ok, empty, remove straws from cartons

Click to edit Master title style Bottles & Jugs – Water & juice bottles; ketchup & dressing bottles – Detergent jugs – Lotion, shampoo and soap bottles Cups & Containers – Yogurt, pudding, fruit cups – Disposable cups and bowls Packaging – Clear, rigid packaging Prep: don’t crush, remove liquids, keep caps on Accepted Curbside: Plastic

Click to edit Master title style Refrigerated or frozen food boxes Pizza boxes Scrap metal Aluminum foil Plastic retail bags Solutions: Call hauler to verify if they accept these! Curbside: The Maybes

Click to edit Master title styleNOT Accepted Curbside Styrofoam™ foam & packing peanuts Juice pouches Microwavable food trays (black) Paper plates and towels Drinking glasses & dishes Mirrors

Click to edit Master title styleTips to Recycle More Curbside Upgrade size of recycling cart Ask for a 2 nd recycling cart Know what to recycle Pick me!

Click to edit Master title style Recycling Doesn’t Save Natural Resources 1 ton of recycled steel = 2,500 lbs ore, 1,400 lbs coal 120 lbs limestone MYTH #1: 1 ton of mixed paper = 17 trees

Click to edit Master title style Myth #2 : We Already Recycle Everything We Can Recyclables in the trash!

Click to edit Master title style Myth #3: Recycling is Inconvenient Curbside – All haulers must offer recycling – Single sort—all in one bin! Drop-off – The Recycling Zone – City of Hastings (paper and cardboard only) – City of Farmington (cardboard only)

Click to edit Master title style Haulers Send Recycling to Landfills It’s illegal Haulers bring recyclables to materials recovery facility Myth #4:

Click to edit Master title style Myth #5: Mixing Recyclables Ruins Them “Single sort” = putting all recyclables in one bin increases participation and amount recovered Bad practices cause contamination Plastic bags get wound around machinery Liquids can soil recyclables Trash contaminates recyclables Needles/sharps can harm workers

Click to edit Master title style Myth #6: Recyclables Aren’t Worth Anything Recycling = profit: – Statewide 2.5 million tons recycled, worth $690 million Not recycling costs money: – 1.2 million tons of recyclable material landfilled, ~ $285 million Recycling is business

Click to edit Master title style Recycling Causes More Pollution Than It Prevents A national recycling rate of 30% reduces greenhouse gas EMISSIONS equal to taking 25 million cars off the road Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Myth #7: Making a bottle from recycled glass takes 50% less ENERGY

Click to edit Master title style Myth #8: Recyclables Are Sorted At the Landfill

Click to edit Master title style One Person Cannot Make a Difference Myth #9: If you convinced two people to recycle and the next day, they convinced two people to recycle, and so on, it would take less than one month for everybody in the United States to start recycling! Image by Algalita Marine Research Foundation

Click to edit Master title style Questions? Dakota County Environmental Resources