Tip It Rubbish RemovalSimple Tips On Sorting Rubbish For Recycling
If you haven’t considered recycling waste, then now is the time!
In fact, it’s perhaps one of your best bets for reducing waste production and protecting the environment from unnecessary pollution. That said, many people drop this noble idea simply because they get intimidated by the preparation process.
If you, too, are in the same boat and wondering how to sort the waste in the first place, then we are here to ease your confusion. So, without any further ado, let’s dive in!
5 Ways To Sort Your Rubbish For Recycling
One of the easiest and most effective methods for sorting waste is to divide it based on certain categories. Likewise, you can prepare different recycling bins for each one of them.
1. Biodegradable Or Food Waste
Also referred to as recyclable or green waste, food waste includes anything and everything that has an “organic origin” and can be naturally broken down into a simpler form by microorganisms. This primarily includes:
- Vegetable and fruit peels
- Leftover food residues
- Animal body parts (like skin, bones, etc.)
- Dead plants, flowers, or leaves
- Packaging material like cardboard and paper
- Dry or wet paper waste
The best part about such types of waste is that you don’t always have to hand them over to a professional recycling centre. You can keep dumping them in the designated recycling bin for about a week and turn them into compost for your backyard garden.
However, one thing to note here is that meat and dairy waste are usually considered unsuitable for the purpose as they may help breed harmful bacteria. Besides, they tend to generate a foul smell while composting, which is something you’d definitely want to avoid, especially in a residential area.
2. Glass Waste
As you may have already guessed, glass waste includes everyday household items like glass bottles, glass jars, beverage bottles, and even broken glass pieces. Once you’re done sorting them out, clean them thoroughly to get rid of any leftover solid or liquid that was stored in them.
The cleaned glass containers are then crushed into smaller pieces and melted for producing new bottles or jars.
That said, you should know that not all types of glass waste are suitable for recycling. For instance, most recycling centres usually don’t accept oil bottles, mirror glass, window glass, auto glass and bottles equipped with glass caps and rubber droppers (called balsam bottles).
Hence, we’d suggest getting in touch with the concerned authorities to understand what can actually be sent to them for recycling. And while at it, you may ask them to help you out with disposing of the unusable glass waste.
3. Plastic Waste
Plastic pollution is one of the most prevalent problems in Australia (and most other countries, for that matter). That’s why it’s important to take utmost care while disposing of and sorting plastics.
Now, if you’re wondering how to prepare plastic waste for recycling, then let us tell you that the process is similar to that of glass. Start by cleaning the plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic caps to eliminate any food residues or chemicals (like cleaning products, creams, lotions, fragrances, etc.) and drop them in the right bin.
Here again, keep in mind that not every plastic waste can be recycled. While you can recycle plastic bags, water bottles, and plastic wrapping elements (such as plastic film, film, or bubble wrap), plastic toys, plastic oil bottles, or margarine containers shouldn’t be put in the recycle bin.
Furthermore, you can dump plastic packaging materials directly into a separate curbside bin (mostly yellow-coloured) in your vicinity.
4. Paper And Cardboard Waste
Paper products such as old phone books, newspapers, magazines, writing paper, egg boxes, cereal bags, pizza boxes and similar cardboard-based packaging materials are considered recyclable materials by most recyclable centres. However, dirty, contaminated and wet paper or laminated cardboard materials should be kept separate from the recyclable bins and disposed of in the general waste bin or trash can.
5. Metal Products
Metal waste includes packaging material, accessories like paper clips, empty paint cans, metal containers and metal scraps, which can be recycled. However, they should be cleaned to eliminate any dirt, grease, or contaminants that can affect the recycling process and the quality of the resulting “new” metal.
What Else Can You Do To Help The Recycling Centres?
Although different recycling centres may have different regulations and waste preparation methods, here are a couple of steps that you can you implement before dumping them in the recycling or coloured waste collection bins.
1. Clean The Containers
Remove the straws from beverage cartons, empty them completely, rinse and flatten them out before putting them in the bin. Similarly, separate the lids from plastic cups and glass bottles or jars and rinse them thoroughly before disposing of them.
Apart from that, take some time to empty out metal cans and remove the lids. You can also keep paint or aerosol cans out in the sun for a couple of hours to allow the contents to evaporate.
2. Pack The Paper Products In Bundles
Flatten out old papers and cardboard pieces and pack them in separate bundles. Place these bundles in plastic or cloth bags and tie them to prevent the contents from falling out.
Final Words
We hope these simple tips will come in handy the next time you’re headed for a recycling centre.
But before we leave you to it, here’s some more advice: if you don’t have the time to sort out waste or are overwhelmed with the regulations, then get in touch with a professional waste management service. And if you plan to do it on your own, then make sure to understand the recycling guidelines well in advance.
Besides, you can take other small yet effective steps to prevent waste from going into the landfill. For instance, opt for reusable and non-toxic sandwich bags for carrying takeaways. Similarly, ditch single-use plastic bags and choose reusable plastic or cloth bags for running errands.
We will see you again. Till then, go green and keep the environment clean!
