Hey you! As you probably know, our household was accepted to be apart of Hennepin County's Zero Waste Challenge. We've signed up for 9 months of education, training and challenging our own behaviors. I've been really nerdy and sharing tips via twitter along the way and I thought I would compile there here as well. To be clear, it's important that you know your own local area recycling rules - and it's great to research what facility actually processed your waste streams and ask your questions to them for the straightest answers! Most of there are general & applicable everywhere, but some might be our area specific.
#recyclingtip even if you don't have curbside #recycling for everything, check with your city or county for nearby drop off sites for the things that can't go in your bin
#composttip your backyard compost binis made up of carbon (brown) and nitrogen (green) matter
#composttip if your yard compost is too wet, add more browns. If it's too dry add more greens.
#composttip #recyclingtip when you are out in the world and there's a lack of signage on the waste bins, your best bet is to look at the material itself. Does it have bpi stamp? Or plastic #? #knowyourmaterials
#recyclingtip if you find yourself in #NewOrleans with a bunch of free swag and #mardigras beads, there are several places you can donate/#recycle them http://www.ecocajun.com/2015/02/where-can-i-recycle-mardi-gras-beads.html?m=1
#composttip turn your yard pile regularly to speed up decomposition
#composttip #recyclingtip don't rely on other people or signage to tell you which bin, learn it for yourself. #knowyourwaste
#recyclingtip styrofoam is not recyclable
#recyclingtip Did you know that @TerraCycle and @Colgate have teamed up to recycle your oral care products with free mail back? https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/colgate
#recyclingtip plastics numbered 3, 6, 7 cannot be recycled. #3 includes PVC and is one of the more toxic materials, #6 includes styrofoam, and #7 is "other" which can mean just about anything!
#recyclingtip any paper that has come in contact with food or grease is no longer recyclable
#recyclingtip unfortunately, waxed cardboard cannot be recycled or composted and is trash. The cardboard is coated in polyethylene plastic.
#composttip you can be sure a product is compostable when it has the BPI or Cedar Grove logo on it.
#composttip only put paper products that you are sure are bleach-free or chemical-free into compost. Best to keep copy paper to the recycling bin.
#composttip food scraps make up 20% of what's in our landfills, at the landfill they can't break down properly and make methane. Composting food scraps helps them break down naturally.
#recyclingtip you know the three Rs of recycling? Some people think it should be 5 Rs. Refuse. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Rot (compost).
#recyclingtip Chip bags usually go in the trash, but @terracycle does have a free mail-back recycling program! https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/haincelestial
#recyclingtip did you know that glass dishes, mirrors and windows are not recyclable. These type of glass are trash because they are often tempered, tinted or treated and require different melting temperatures from recyclable glass (like food containers).
#recycletip do you know how glass is recycled? https://youtu.be/csui3eJfofY
#recyclingtip ever wonder what happens inside your local MRF (material recovery facility) https://youtu.be/teKhkBnTDBc
#recyclingtip did you know MN legislature bans putting phonebooks in the trash? You must recycle them. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=115A.951
#recyclingtip some cities require shredded paper to be put in a clear plastic bag so that the people sorting the material can quickly identify and pull it from the line. Those little bits and pieces don't make it through the sorting machines well
#recyclingtip ever wonder how paper is recycled? https://youtu.be/oftIKZG4_o4
#recyclingtip You do not need to remove the plastic windows on envelopes, the recycling process will take care of that for you
#recyclingtip curious how metal gets recycled? https://youtu.be/kC98XiIkedI
#recyclingtip Nope, you do not need to remove staples from paper documents before recycling, they get removed at the papermill
#recyclingtip if you are hoping to recycle that shredded paper, use the shredders that cut into verticle strips to ensure the paper fibers are long enough for recycle. Criss-cross shredders leave the fibers too small.
#recyclingtip paper towel and bath tissue are not recyclable because the paper fibers are too short to be turned into anything else
#recyclingtip learn more about how plastic is recycled https://youtu.be/MEqEdydZQKI
#composttip careful what you put in your compost. Avoid papers that may contain chemicals, bleach, waxy or plastic coatings
#recyclingtip before recycling comes reuse! @Hennepin county has a really cool reuse directory where you can find where to buy used, rent or where to donate all sorts of items https://www.hennepin.us/choosetoreuse
