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540 S. Randall Road
St. Charles, IL
8 a.m. to Noon
540 S. Randall Road
St. Charles, IL
8 a.m. to Noon
Have you ever questioned whether you can recycle something (curbside or elsewhere) or if you should put it on the trash?
For example, “Are plastic deodorant sticks, their lids, and their internal parts (assuming they’re clean) recyclable in my curbside bin?” These sorts of questions, especially about plastic items, are very common.
The answer to the above question is definitely “No!” Random plastic items — of which there are so many varieties — are often not recyclable.
An item is recyclable only if:
(1) It can be correctly sorted using present technology at the material recovery facilities (MRFs); and
(2) It has a viable end market — somewhere to send it where a company will re-manufacture the material into new products.
The MRFs, with a combination of human and mechanical sorting systems, are constrained by technology in the materials and shapes they can sort, and that creates some limitation.
Then there are the market forces, which is the definitive limitation. If there is no end-market for a particular type of material, then it simply cannot be recycled because there is no one turning it into anything.
Confusion about plastic recycling comes largely from that ubiquitous symbol — a number inside the chasing arrows triangle — which manufacturers imprint on plastic products.
Because many people believe that the number means it is recyclable — which it does not — a ton of plastic stuff that is not actually recyclable ends up in the recycling bin.
The number simply tells you the type of resin an item is made from. It does not tell you whether it is recyclable in any given program.
Here are the five rules to remember:
Here is the Guidelines Poster of what can go in your cart and what cannot. And here are some more comprehensive details, if you are REALLY into it! : )
Yes, recycling is still worth the effort; we just have to get better at “Recycling Right!” You can do it, and your actions do make a difference!
The thing is that we have to recycle as much as we can of the recyclable materials, and let the other stuff go, so as not to let perfection become the enemy of the good!
Please do not put non-recyclable items in the recycling container, clean or otherwise, as that just gives the facilities more sorting to do and the materials inevitably and unavoidably end up in the landfill anyway.
Or worse, they slip through and end up as a “contaminate” in the recyclable plastics lowering the quality of the material in the bale. This makes it harder to market and is a major detriment to the recycling industry as a whole.
It is up to us as individuals to change our consumerist habits to stop the avalanche of plastics coming down the stream and infiltrating all elements of our environment.
The best thing you can do to help is to reduce your use of plastic at the front end. Endeavor to look for alternative products that are not packaged in plastic or made of plastic!
Kane County is gearing up for its biggest recycling event of the year — the 2019 Recycling Extravaganza — set to take place from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 13.
There are a ton of recycling opportunities this year, and a few changes from previous years, so be sure to read the rest of this article.
The extravaganza includes recycling for batteries, books, bikes, clothes, electronics, flourescent lamps, Styrofoam and paint.
New this year is the opportunity to recycle scrap metal — aluminum, copper, brass, insulated wire, cast iron, steel and other metals.
Please see the EVENT POSTER for more details, and please read below information to make the most of your event experience!
One important reminder is that this event DOES NOT include shredding, which has been the case in previous years. That said, confidential document shredding will be available at Kane County’s Aug. 10 and Sept. 14 recycling events.
Contact Kane County Recycling Coordinator Jennifer Jarland at 630-208-3841 or recycle@countyofkane.org.