Not sure how to recycle? Follow this map!

I made this little diagram to help those of you that want to start doing more recycling, but are not sure if certain items are or not recyclable. Please understand that this is a simplification of a rather more complex process, that will help you to start doing a better job on recycling:

If you want a PDF version CLICK HERE! As always constructive criticism is appreciated.

The silver-lining of plastics

Although is easy to talk bad about something like plastics, think about how readily available it is and the way you use it. If the consumer and the producer were more conscious, then we would have a different perspective of all the plastic that surround us.

This post came to my mind thanks to my friend Juan, who is going to do his PhD in polymers and send me a great TEDx video. I will understand if there are some ideas in the video that you do not sympathize with (the lack of references bothers me). But there is something I did get out of it: Consumer and producer are more responsible for the damage caused than the product itself

This video made me start a search to see where and if are proofs of these statements.

Emissions and Cars
The initials findings came unexpectedly while I was browsing Linkedin. I saw an article  -in spanish- from "La republica", a colombian newspapers, where Ivan Dario Gomez, General Director at ICIPC (In english: Institute of Training and Research of Plastic and Rubber), debates about how bad plastics are?

Gomez presents some interesting points, like that being against plastics is seen as politically correct, however, there is a fundamental flaw in the system: in most cases, there are no more economically and environmentally sustainable alternatives. Once more, pointing out that the problem comes from producers and consumers. 

One of the strongest points he presents is the influence that plastics have in the reductions of car emissions. According to EPA, the emission per mileage of  cars in 2017  presented a historical minimum. The only thing that is open to interpretation is if this applies for Sedans and SUV as well - which I would think it does -.

Paper vs Plastic bags

Afterwards, I decided to investigate about Paper bags vs plastic. That took me to a Research and Library Service Briefing Note from the Northern Ireland Assembly - Kind of like a small congress in Northern Ireland-. The information on it is quite interesting: it says that it takes 91% less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it takes to recycle a pound of paper. Unfortunately, the reference to back this information was not working. The only problem I have with this research is that there is no information about who funded it.

Another report from the Enviromental Agency (The leading public body protecting and improving the environment in England and Wales) proposes that paper, #4 LDPE, non-woven PP and cotton bags should be reused at least 3, 4, 11 and 131 times respectively to ensure that they have lower global warming potential than conventional HDPE carrier bags that are not reused. This comparison seems complex for the typical consumer that has no idea what all those acronyms means, but for reference: #2 HDPE can be normally found in Supermarkets such as Kroger and Meijer. This report is the result of research commissioned and funded by the Environment Agency.

Final Remarks

After reading this you might wonder: Is it worth to reduce the plastic in my life? The answer is a big MAYBE:

If you are willing to take reusing really serious then YES. You can make it work, but it is not an easy task. Always check your facts!

If you will "slide" here and there, then at least be conscious. Remember is not about removing plastics completely, but make smart and green choices. Whenever possible and available for you, recycle. 

In a future post I will present other comparisons (i.e. glass vs plastic bottles).


Links:

https://1bagatatime.com/learn/bag-comparison-chart/

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/291023/scho0711buan-e-e.pdf

http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/globalassets/documents/raise/publications/2011/environment/3611.pdf

https://www.larepublica.co/responsabilidad-social/realmente-es-tan-malo-el-plastico-2919356

6 things you can do to reduce the use of plastics

As of 12/19/2019 I have made changes from the 10/02/19 when it was created

Hello hello!

Although my previous posts were about "How to recycle", the real end goal is to REDUCE the amount of single-use products we consume everyday. We don´t think about it, but the moment you grab a plastic fork to eat your lunch or a plastic spoon to shake the sugar of that morning coffee in a foam cup (#6 PS), then you are contributing to approx 150 million tons of single-used plastic discarded PER YEAR. Not only the cutlery and foam cups, but plastic bottles, take-out containers, straws, etc. All these single-use plastics are normally discarded the same year they are created (Based on a great report from the UN in 2015). Interesting enough, if you put them on the recycling, this plastic cutlery might be #6 PS - not so easy to recycle-

How can you make an impact?

Let's go over the simple changes you can do to change the world, one meal at a time! Get your Lunch box ready!

1.- Get a lunchbox and bring your own cutlery to work!

In my case, I bought a lunch box from Salvation Army. Why? Because I did not want to spend a lot of money on a lunch box and at the same time I got an item that was used in the past -REUSE-. So, it was a Win-Win situation. I would recommend you to explore that possibility. Mine is a great IKEA lunch box that cost me 3$. Ha! Take that IKEA!

My lunch box contains:

1- Metal fork x 1

2- Metal knife x 1

3.- Metal spoon x 2 

4.- Washable napkins x 2 (These are great because you can wash them on a washing machine with your clothes)

5.- I have a plate at work so I don't have to use the paper waxed plates, which from our previous post, we know that they are not recyclable! 

Not a big eater and only bringing a small sandwich? You could consider investing on Bee's wrap. Although significantly more expensive than a plastic sandwich bag, it is compostable and highly reusable. If you decide to go with plastic sandwich bags, please re-use them as much as you can and when discard in it, do NOT put it on the recyclables since it is a plastic film.

2.- Glass or plastic containers?

If your container is made of #3 or #7 then you are at risk to get expose to BPA (If you don't know what BPA is, here is a link From the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences!). 

Do you plan to re-use the container? then go with glass or pyrex containers for food. Be aware that Pyrex is NOT RECYCLABLE, so you have to make sure that the life of the container is as long as it can be! You might have to live with the fact non plastic lids are hard to get for these containers, but do not heat up the food with the lid on.

If you really are clumsy and lack of the willingness to reuse and clean the containers, then go with plastic, wash and recycle them when the time comes. 

3.- Plastic Bottle or others?

I applaud anyone using plastic water bottles infinite times, the likelihood that those break is far greater than a metal one. Also, this report from the Centre for Food Safety of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides a good explanation of other concerns I have on re-using plastic bottles). 

From a manufacturing point of view, doing one plastic bottle uses less energy than glass. The same logic applies for transportation (similar amount of fluids but less weight on plastic bottles = less gas needed to transport). In the end you should re-use your bottles no matter what material they are, but keep them clean.

4.- Should you get re-usable bags?

Supermarkets are now offering more reusable bags, but should you actually buy a reusable bag?: 

Studies have shown that a reusable cotton bag requires about 130+ uses to have a lower global warming potential than a plastic bag. Non-woven PP reusable bags, only need around 11+ uses versus a plastic bag. Which one is yours made of? Normally the bags come with a label where the material is mentioned.

What about paper? You need to use the paper bags at least 3+ times versus a plastic bag to make it more environmentally friendly, but to make and recycle these bags a substantial amount of water is needed and let´s face it:  do you really plan to use a paper bag 3 times?

What should you do??! Well, I propose one simple solution: REUSE your plastic bags for future groceries! This is almost so obvious that it seems crazy to me that no one promote these practices. Once the bags are broken, you can return them for recycling to the grocery store where you got them (Yes, it is that simple :) ). I do have some reusable bags in hand just in case, but I am starting to follow the practice of reusing the plastic bags. 

5.- Tea drinker? Buy loose leaf tea and re-use the cans

The wrapping that your leafs are on? Would you believe if I tell you it is plastic? Well...yeah.
I am sure that most tea shops will allow you to bring your own cans for refills (maybe even a little discount!) ! Extra brownie points if you continuously re-use your tea cans.

There is a somewhat funny article I came across long time ago about the UK and some challenges suppliers were facing while trying to do "greener" tea bags (You can see it here).

6.- Carry a to-go mug with you / leave a mug one at work!

I don't drink coffee nor tea in the morning (I know, I am an abomination), but for those caffeine addicted readers, I would recommend to leave a mug at work. Do not use styrofoam cups, highly difficult to recycle.

Also, most coffee shops do accept that you bring your own coffee mug - Some places might even give you a small discount for doing it!-. 

I know some of the things I am going over might seem obvious or simple, but think about it the next time you are using a plastic spoon, fork, foam cups, etc. How can you make a difference if you do not give yourself the option to do so?

With those last words of wisdom, I let you go and run wild to the world being more knowledgeable!!

Recycling Cardboard: Looks easy, but is it really?

Hello again my recyclers!!

In this world of continuous e-commerce one of the most common materials we encounter around houses and trash bins is cardboard. You don't have to do a lot of effort to see boxes everywhere, and like any other recyclable material it needs to go over a decent number of steps before it can be recycle.

Now, the question is: Do you really know how to recycle cardboard boxes? Do you do all the work required to get the boxes ready for recycling?

Let's get into some "technical" knowledge:

There are two kinds of cardboards: The first is known as corrugated cardboard: Consist on a wavy inner layer of cardboard, making it a kind of three-layer sandwich of cardboard. 

Typical Style from the Amazon boxes

The other type is called paperboard: It is a single layer of gray cardboard that's used to make things like cereal boxes, shoe boxes, and other packages.

Paperboard, this is typical for cereal boxes and phone boxes

Now that you are more knowledgeable, let´s talk about the topic that we are here for:

How to recycle cardboard

In general, cardboard is recyclable. Most places that accepts cardboard will ask you to flattened the boxes, and remove all the label and stickers (Yeah, that sucks when we talk about the Amazon deliveries)

The labels marked on yellow will need to be removed prior to flatten and recycle the box

When is a good idea to NOT recycle cardboard?

Grease and oil in paper recycling, and greasy pizza boxes are two of the worst contaminants. (There are some governmental entities that already took small actions on this matter. Here is the webpage from Seattle Public Utilities). This does not mean that the whole the box is not recyclable: In the case of pizza boxes, you could cut the sections without grease and recycle those, while tossing to the trash the other ones. When in doubt if there is presence of grease, better toss it in the trash. As a good rule: If food -that leaks or causes stains- touched any part of the carboard, that part is not recyclable.

 

Sections that can and can´t be recycled

Moldy cardboard or with paint stains are not recyclable. Despite several web-pages giving advice on how to remove mold, this cannot be completely removed from cardboard (because of the porous surface). Careful! Wear gloves, eye protection and respirators when handling moldy boxes. I am not an expert of mold, so the only advice I can give you is to get an second opinion if you are facing this situation. This reference is a good start. Another good reference comes from North Dakota State University.

Moldy boxes 

For waxed carboards or water resistant cardboards you might have to check with your recycling program because recycle them is not always available! Most paper food containers that appear to be coated in wax are actually coated with polyethylene (Plastic)! Something to think about when you are buying coffee from Starbucks and other coffee shops: Those cups, although sometimes made of recycled cardboard, they are also waxed paper. So, in theory, the lid (which is made of PS#6) is the only "recyclable". Other objects of the same style are milk, juice and frozen containers (For example, ice cream tubs), drink boxes and all the fast food containers (In case you needed more motivation to leave those salty fries out of your diet).

I hope you find this new article interesting :). Knowledge makes you smarter and wiser!!

How to recycle...correctly?

Hi again!

Although recycling looks like the simple task of putting plastic, glass,metals, papers, cardboard, etc in a different bin than your trash, it is much more complicated. I'm not trying to scare you nor make you feel it will take a bit chunk of your time, but doing it right is an 'art', and as such, it requires a little bit practice and a lot of patience.

Today I will go over some basic examples about proper ways to recycle certain objects. Let's go over the simple stuffs:

Water bottles, Milk bottles, Gatorade bottles, dish soap bottles or any plastic bottles! 

In order to recycle it properly you MUST:

1) Remove the label

2) Remove the lid

3) And even the plastic ring!! 

Just like in the picture below: 

Some curbside programs and recycling places are able to take the lids and the rings , but almost guaranteed you will have to discard the label in the trash. For Michiganders: the caps can be donated to Scrap Ann Arbor

Unfortunately, the bottle will be the only recyclable piece. 

Plastic egg cartons (wtf?), cherry tomatoes, salad containers, veggie trays! 

Similarly, you will have to remove the labels on these containers. 

Just like the picture below!

Metal cans for beans, corn, fruits and so forth!

Please, please! Metal is one of the most important material to be recycled because it can be used almost unlimited times - unlike plastic. But, once more - as like the other containers - you have to remove the label!

Pasta boxes, frozen dinners or any type of box with a small plastic "window"

In general, for space and simplicity, disassemble the box and always remove the little plastic window of the box. Unfortunately, that plastic window cannot be recycle, but the cardboard most likely can be recycled. 

Some pasta boxes come with a sign that says How2Recycle - Which you can also see on the blue shipping envelopes from Amazon- . This is a special recycling program where specific locations (i.e. Target) receives certain types of items. For more info click here

There are a lot of other things that you need to consider, but these initial rules will help you to start your recycling process more effectively!

Do more research!! The internet is a great resource! Just look at this great webpage: http://apps.npr.org/plastics-recycling/

Not a place nearby to recycle ? Mail it!

Hello there,

Since recycling is such a labor intensive process, some people will face the challenge of not having an easy way to access a recycling company. Nonetheless, the ever grown world of business has allowed the appearance of several companies that will received (sometimes for free, sometimes for a cost) your recyclables. I want to leave clear that some places will charge high fees for your recyclables, so these might look more attractive from business than from an individual point of view. Let's go to check them out, shall we?

Terracycle:

These guys literally recycle anything. The company has several collection programs for different items that can go from your typical recyclable to toys, ear plugs, razor blades, you name it. Since P&G has a partnership (or owns?) this organization, some of their products have completely free returnable policies and sometimes even drop off locations. I think is worth to look at it because the range of opportunities is very broad.

Preserve:

This company will let you ship them all your #5 PP plastic. They will reuse it to create products such a toothbrushes, food containers or kitchen tools. I would encourage you to check their "What we accept" Section before packing anything. They also have a cool program for recycling Toothbrush, although I won't lie: I don't know if they accept only Preserve's toothbrush or any toothbrush, but it´s worth to look.

Autoparts Stores:

If you do your own oil changes, I hope you know you cannot simply throw the oil and filter into the trash! Some places will do recycle the oil, the filters and even the car batteries for free. You should ask on your local stores because I´m pretty sure this only applies for selected locations.

GRC Wireless

This company will let you recycle or trade smartphones, cell phones & tablets. Their recycling program tend to work in bulks, for like businesses, nonprofits, schools & agencies. The best part is that they might pay you for the phone you recycled! There is also a program to donate your phone for troops. Just remember to erase all the information from your devices before donating or trading!

If this does not convince you then I would encourage you to check your phone manufacturer. Companies like Apple , Samsung and LG have recycling programs/trade-in programs to upgrade and take care of your phone or even directly through Best buy. If your phone is still functional and you like to help and donate to different causes, then there are plenty of options of where to go if you google it, but the two I liked the most are: 

- Cellphones for soldiers
- Secure the call

E-Cycling central

This directory allows you to find companies that recycling electronic equipment around all the states in US. Several are national programs or non-profits, but some will be for profit so I will encourage you to do a good search if you don´t want to pay money just for recycling (Maybe there is a place that pays you for it! not so far from home)

Clothes and furniture

As long as your shirt or pants are not ripped apart you should consider donating clothes to charities such as GoodWill or Salvation Army. There is a lot of good they do to help people in need, and maybe in the process you find a little treasure in one of their stores. Regarding furniture, you can consider donating it as well (TAX-DEDUCTION$$$) or selling it if the furniture is not damage. I made 15$ selling a desk that someone threw and it was in perfect shape using Facebook Market. But please, I strongly encourage you to find a new place for your furniture. Do not toss it, there are too many more ways of getting rid of furniture than turning it into trash.

Recycling 101

From the time I lived in Germany I was amazed by the power of recycling. The likelihood that at least 60-80% of what we consider trash can be reused surprises me.

What is recycling? 

For a lot of us is basically putting plastic, papers, cardboard and cans in a different container than the organic trash. Then, some quick "magic" happens and we hope the plastic is actually reused.  Well,  there is a long way from the moment you put your recyclables in to the bin to the point they are reused.

Basics

Normally the recycling components can be divided in 7 categories:

This image from the New York State Department of Enviromental Conservation gives a very simple explanation of examples for each category:

What do you notice on this list? I'll give you a minute...

...Something is missing! Where are the numbers for cardboard, batteries, metals? 

Well, I hope you don´t run away after this but... The recycling numbers can go up to 98! (More information here):

 Box with a #21 PAP sign

What do you need?

No, you don´t need 98 recycling bins. You could definitely have a simple setup like this:

 Setup to start your recycling dreams

I would advise you to check if:

1.- Your apartment complex or curbside pick up does recycling

2.- If 1 is a NOPE then check if there is a recycling drop-off station in your area

3.- WHAT can they recycle? Specifically ask for:

• #2 (Plastic bags. Please please please, put them aside. Ideally just return them to the supermarket)
• #3 PVC (plastic pipes. By the way, if you come across one of these things while is getting burn, I would go away as far as I can be - highly toxic -)
• #4 LDPE (The plastic bags from the bread. They are normally returnable to the supermarket where you bought them)
• #6 PS (Normally not recyclable on your regular curbside recycling pickup. But there ask, right? There are two forms: styrofoam and solid plastic. Styrofoam = container from those chinese take-outs you like so much; Solid Plastic = McDonald's lids (Bottom right corner you can see a PS-6))  
• Glass (Some of the beer bottles are returnable, which means 10 cents back to you! Also some good wine bottles are non-returnables, so you might have to use a different service. Do not put pyrex! -Is not recyclable-
• Plastic caps (yes, you have to separate the caps and the  the little plastic tamper evident rings from the bottle. Why? It might not be the same plastic as the bottle and there is a slight chance that the plastic used on the lid cannot be recycled. Some places like SCRAP Ann Arbor accept plastic caps)
• Cooking oil (Do you drain those grease pans into the sink? Please don't! Use a bottle and fill it with the oil from your pans... it might be a slow process, but you will do yourself and the environment a favor. But if you don't trust me, maybe this might change your mind (There is a really good article on the topic from a Turkish company that it´s word your time:   Click here to be wiser!)
• Tetrapak containers (Tetrapak could be juice boxes and milk cartons, for example. As you might have noticed, these containers are not made with just one material, it´s a combination of layers, which makes the recycling process a challenge)
• Batteries (Make sure you ask for alkaline batteries, those are the ones that your remote uses. Lithium-ion are the one you can find on cellphones. Don't just assume it can be recycled... you can cause a fire)                                     

Tips and important comments

- Before even recycling, ask yourself: "Can I REUSE this container for other purpose?". I REUSED glass bottles to make my own juices or as water bottles. I also reused jam jars.
REUSE is better than Recycling. Always.

- Do NOT put your recyclables in a trash bag. The bag itself defeats the purpose of recycling. Trust me, it's better if you toss everything into the container without a bag

- Greasy pizza boxes are not recyclables. I'm sorry to disappoint you. You could cut the sections of the box without grease and put them in the recycling bin, the rest to the trash

- As I said before: as a general rule remove the plastic caps from the plastic bottles -and the ring-, also the sticker or any decal in the bottle. You should ask the place that does recycling if they care about these things, some places are more open that others. Nonetheless, in my opinion, I want to provide the plastic as "clean" as possible

- The bags that holds your cheese, ham, cheese sticks, candies, etc.. most likely is not going to or it cannot be recycled.  My recommendation here is reducing consumption of things with one time use plastic packaging (VERY DIFFICULT!, but not impossible :) )

- Start thinking on ways of reducing your own trash production. The less you generate, the less you have to deal with.

- Don´t waste 600 gallons of water on cleaning food residue from your recyclables. Make sure is as clean as it can be with a good rinse. Remember that saving water is also important!