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As you dispose of your family’s trash, separating your recycling is a smart, responsible move. You may be able to arrange collection along with your trash pickup, or you may take the materials directly to a recycling center. Doing this helps protect the environment from waste, reduce the need for logging and mining by providing raw materials, and lower product prices by reducing the cost of manufacturing. When you go through your trash, keep these tips in mind.

Do:

Sort and prep your materials.

While some facilities do offer on-site sorting, it’s faster if you pre-sort your items at home. Separate glass, metal, paper, and plastic, and if you can, divide the plastic by type. Wash off any food residue before putting the materials in your container for garbage collection.

Recycle only accepted items.

RecyclingSome recycling centers are only equipped to handle a narrow range of materials, while others can recycle almost anything. For example, one facility might be set up to take rigid plastic containers but not soft plastic bags because they get stuck in the machinery, while another facility can handle both because they use a different system.

Batteries are important to recycle because they’re hazardous to throw out, but they’re also dangerous to send to a facility that isn’t equipped for them. Your local facility will have a list of the materials they do and do not accept, which may be posted online or on their recycling containers. If you can’t find it, you’ll need to call and ask what materials they accept.

Don’t:

Mix it up.

Even if you don’t have time to sort your recyclables, at least keep them separate from the rest of the trash. Don’t mix them in with food, yard debris, or anything else in your trash can. Also, if you have some recyclables that your local facility can handle and some they can’t, keep those separate too.

Get disorganized.

When it comes to paper and cardboard products, your recycling can get messy fast. Boxes and crumpled paper take up a lot of space and don’t stack neatly.

To avoid creating an unsteady tower of boxes and paper that is inconvenient for both you and your trash collector, flatten boxes and smooth out papers. You can even tie them in bundles to keep them neat and make them easy to stack. Meanwhile, try to place cans and jars right side up when possible to prevent them from rolling around and breaking.

 

 

Once you’ve collected your cans, bottles, and papers in North Franklin, CT, contact Sterling Superior Services. They have a second facility, Superior Recycling, that offers recycling services with convenient pickup in New London County and Eastern Connecticut. They’re fully insured and have three generations of experience in the industry. Call (860) 642-7351 or visit the website to learn more about their services.

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