WHY RECYCLE?  Community Recycling Pays$ Off

Recycling positively impacts a community and its environment.  And, every resident can make a significant contribution.  Recycling not only saves natural resources, but it also saves energy.  As the cost of energy continues to rise, recycling is a great way to conserve.  Fossil fuels are one of the non-replenishing resources.  Recycling takes significantly less energy then creating new materials, considering the entire process, from gathering raw materials to transporting the finished product to the commercial outlet.  Because materials used in recycling have already been processed once, much less energy is required to recycle them.

According to the Department of Environmental Protection, every pound of recycled steel saves enough energy to light a 60-watt light bulb for a period of 26 hours!  What about soda cans?  Recycling just 1 can will save the equivalent amount of energy as that which is needed to light a 100-watt bulb for over 3 hours!  Isn’t that truly amazing?  By recycling just one soda can!  Imagine what would happen to our energy consumption if we recycled all our aluminum cans!

The following items can be Recycled:  (Remember all containers must be empty, clean of food, and rinsed.  Labels do NOT have to be removed.)

Glass:  Any glass container that contained food or beverages is acceptable, regardless of color.  Examples are iced tea and soda bottles, food jars (baby food, spaghetti sauce, juice, jelly, pickle, salad dressing, and vegetable oil jars), and beer, wine, and liquor bottles.

Metal Cans:  Tin cans, steel cans and tin plated food and beverage containers of all sizes, (including metal lids from both cans and jars), such as pet food, soup, tuna, juice, fruit and vegetable cans, spice cans as well as tins from cookies, fruit cakes, popcorn, and bandage containers.

Aluminum Cans:  Used aluminum beverage containers (soda, beer, juice and tea cans, to name a few) and foil (clean of food)

Foil Containers: TV dinner trays and other foil packaging.

Plastics:  Plastic recycling is easy.  You just have to look for the PET or PETE 1 and HDPE 2 triangular symbols on the container,  Examples are:  milk jugs, plastic soft drinks, water, sports drinks, mouthwash bottles, beer, catsup, salad dressing, peanut butter, jelly and jam, cooking oil,  cosmetic, shampoo, dish and laundry detergent bottles, yogurt and sour cream containers (be sure and check—sometimes only the lid is recyclable, but not the container), pill bottles, bleach bottles, and containers from baby wipes and many household cleaners.

Acceptable Cardboard:  Only small cardboard boxes which fit in the recycle bin can be recycled in Lakeland.  Large boxes are recyclable, but will not go into the All Star recycling truck bins.

Paperboard or Chipboard:  Some chipboard is plastic coated and is not acceptable.  The way to identify plastic coated materials is a simple tear test.  If you CAN tear it, you CAN recycle it.  Examples of chipboard that CAN be recycled are:  cereal and cracker boxes (throw away the liners), pasta, laundry detergent, gift, and shoe boxes, soda and beer cartons, frozen juice containers (throw away lids and plastic tabs), all boxes used as packaging for toothpaste, bar soap, over the counter and prescription medicines, dry goods packaging, and paper towel and toilet paper cores.

Paper:  Newspapers and inserts, advertising circulars, magazines, catalogues, home telephone books, computer and office paper, paperback books, unwanted mail (be careful with personal information), office paper, file folders, printed paper, school papers, calendars, envelopes, paper that has been shredded (be sure it is secured in a paper bag), and paper bags.  Please practice “responsible recycling” and double check to insure that all materials to be recycled will not blow away.  Place ALL your paper and cardboard on TOP of your other bin materials.  This helps the crew place the paper products in a separate part of the truck

Unacceptable Paperboard, Chipboard and Paper:  Waxed paper and waxed boxes, gift wrap (which has too much ink on it and, therefore, the mills do not want it), carbon paper, beverage containers such as milk or juice cartons which are wax or plastic coated, paper towels, napkins, paper plates and cups and cardboard which is soiled or greasy. 
 
Other Unacceptable Items:  Motor oil, antifreeze and Tidy Cat containers (this product clogs the machinery, AND it is not a recyclable type plastic), black restaurant and frozen food trays, flower pots or trays, soaked or extremely yellowed newspaper, wet or previously wet magazines.  Styrofoam containers or packing pellets, and plastic grocery bags CANNOT be recycled.

If you need additional recycle containers, contact All Star Waste (901) 854-8865.  Additional containers can be purchased for a one-time charge of $6 each (which is their cost).