Recycle Right – It’s Easy Once You Know How.
What’s just as important, or even more important, than separating out your recyclable containers and bringing them to the RTS? Keeping things like plastic wrap/films (Saran Wrap, plastic film used for packaging consumer items or produce, etc.) and plastic tarps out of your recyclables.
Plastic wrap/films represent a big source of trouble in the recycling stream. Plastic wrap gets caught in the machinery that separate and process Needham’s recyclables, forcing operators to shut down the equipment while they clear the jam. In a highly automated business, this represents a huge problem. (As was pointed out in a previous post, plastic bags do the same damage and should also be kept out of the recyclables at the RTS. Plastic bags can be recycled at the supermarket – they are used to manufacture plastic lumber for decks, etc.)
What can you do? Follow these best practices at the RTS to keep Needham’s recyclables clean:
- All Plastic wrap/films are trash – dispose of them in the yellow trash bags.
- Plastic tarps are trash – dispose of them in the yellow trash bags.
- Take clean plastic bags to the supermarket to be recycled.
Get more information about what can and cannot be recycled at the RTS website.
Remember, the cleaner our recyclables, the higher the price that the Town gets for them – we all need to help with this effort!
Check out other recycling tips on our Recycling Tips – Best Practices page
