New York City has one of the largest and most ambitious recycling programs in the United States. Every week, the city's Department of Sanitation collects recycling in plastic garbage bags from 3 million households, as well as businesses and public institutions. The city's recycling program was launched in 1989 and it quickly expanded to include every neighborhood in every borough. Today, residents who recycle help the city save on its staggering trash disposal bill and pave the way for even better and more streamlined recycling services. Each city has different rules and regulations--Here are some general tips for recycling using clear garbage bags:
1. Separate your trash and your recyclables in your apartment - Space is a commodity in most cities, but if you want to recycle properly, it's easiest to have three trash cans in your home: one trash can lined with black garbage bags for regular trash and two trash cans lined with plastic garbage bags - one for paper and cardboard, and one for beverage cartons, bottles and cans. This saves you from sorting through all your waste each week.
2. Recycle papers and cardboard - In some cities, paper recyclables are not just limited to paper and cardboard. Other items that can be recycled in clear garbage bags include newspapers, magazines, smooth and corrugated cardboard, white and colored paper, mail, envelopes, telephone books, soft cover books, and wrapping paper. Items that shouldn't be recycled include hardcover books, paper towels and tissues, photo paper, wax-covered paper (such as candy wrappers), paper with a lot of tape or glue, and paper soiled with food or liquid.
3. Recycle plastics and metals - You can recycle your milk and juice cartons, of course, but just make sure you rinse them before putting them in your clear garbage bags. Plastic bottles and jugs, glass bottles and jars, metal cans like pet food and soup cans, aluminum foil and trays, and household metal like wire hangers and metal scissors are also fine to recycle. And, of course, keep any paper, cardboard and Styrofoam materials out of the bag.
4. Put your recyclables in the right place - When your clear garbage bags fill up, it's time to put them outside so that they can be collected by the Department of Sanitation. In some cities, there are usually designated trash containers for recycling - containers with GREEN decals are for papers, and containers with BLUE decals are for bottles, cans and foil. If your building doesn't have designated trash cans, place your recycling in trash cans lined with clear garbage bags. Remember, if your recyclables are in black garbage bags, they won't be collected by the Department of Sanitation's recycling unit, so make sure you always use clear garage bags. Get more information about what you can and can't recycle from your local government's website. Happy recycling!
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlesbacklink.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
