Contamination - How do I avoid it?
Currently the Town's recycling contamination rate is averaging 35%. When a recycling batch is contaminated it is then put in the trash disposal stream. The Town currently pays $84/ton to dispose of trash and $25/ton to dispose of recycling. That can cause huge swings in the budget.
Just one wrong item in your recycling can cause your entire cart to be rejected. If non-recyclables/contamination is seen in your cart, it may not be collected and left curbside.
Here's some tips:
- No plastic bags, of any kind, NEVER, not even to "bag up" your recycling. They get caught in the sorting machinery and can jam it. See this webpage for alternative ways to recycle your plastic bags and films
- Rinse/clean your recycling. Give things a good rinse before putting them in your cart.
- Pay special attention to those mayo and peanut butter jars, they have to be clear of food to be recyclable.
- No "tanglers" or "smalls" - things that could get caught in or fall into/through the machinery are no-no's.
- Small things like soda bottle lids ARE recyclable IF they are left on the bottle, but don't just toss the lids in your recycling.
- No black plastic take out containers, not even with a number. The machine can't see the black color and it jams
- Small prescription bottles are not recyclable. They fall into the machine and jam it, or fall right through the machine and then are considered trash. You can collect smaller plastics in a larger container of the same plastic and recycle them that way.
- Check the recycling brochure that came with your cart for what is recyclable. You can also find it on this webpage.