Recycling participants are being reminded to Think EMPTY, CLEAN AND DRY when collecting items for recycling—the emptier, cleaner and drier the items, the more they are deemed acceptable and less recycling shipments are rejected.
Here’s how it works: The entity receiving a shipment of raw recycling commodities (plastics, aluminum cans, cardboard, etc.) inspects a sample to determine the percentage of the entire shipment that might not be clean and considered unacceptable. Current standard is that they will accept shipments with no more than 0.5 percent unacceptable items, or the entire shipment is rejected. So, a cardboard pizza box may be recyclable, but if it’s greasy or scattered with stuck-on pepperoni, it’s not—same for a plastic jar with a bit of peanut butter in the bottom. Even a paper bag full of newspapers isn’t acceptable if it gets rained on. The easy rule of thumb to remember is no food, grease or wet material—i.e. Think Empty, Clean and Dry! For more information about recycling in Richardson and a list of acceptable items, visit www.cor.net/recycling.
