Myth: Why should I recycle? It all just ends up in the landfill
The only items that end up in the landfill are ones you should not be putting in your recycling bin, i.e., items not accepted by your recycling program. Once they arrive at a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) – where all our recyclables go for processing - these contaminants are removed and disposed in the trash. Items that are accepted by your recycling program are recycled and made into new products. To learn what is and is not recyclable in your bin, download the Recycle Better flyer.
Myth: If a plastic item has numbers inside the triangle of arrows, it's recyclable
These numbers on plastic items are resin codes. They are a set of symbols used by the plastics industry to identify the type of plastic material used in products. These codes range from 1 to 7 and are typically found on the bottom of plastic containers.
Unfortunately, they don’t determine an item’s recyclability. That’s why you should recycle plastics based on their shape, not resin code. For example, most plastic bottles, tubs, jars and buckets are recyclable, while many other types of plastic containers are not. To learn more, download the Recycle Plastics Better flyer.
Myth: They're throwing my recyclables in a trash truck
Sometimes haulers use the same trucks for trash and recycling. They make two separate runs: one for trash, one for recycling. They take the recyclables to a MRF and the trash to a landfill or transfer station. A transfer station is a facility where trash is consolidated from small trucks to large trucks for transport to landfills that are located farther away.
Myth: Recycling should be free
Recycling is a service just like any other service we pay for: vehicle repair, trash collection, lawn care, etc. Fees cover the cost to collect, process, and ship recyclable materials. This applies across the board to all recyclable items, from aluminum cans and cardboard boxes to paint and televisions.
Myth: If I want to recycle something, I should put it in my recycling bin
You should only place items in your recycling bin if they are accepted by your recycling program! Otherwise, you’re just “wishcycling” - putting non-recyclable items in your bin, hoping they can be recycled.
An item is only recyclable if it has an end market. An end market is a company or companies that pay for the material and makes it into a new product. For example, there’s an end market for aluminum cans and glass bottles, and therefore, they’re recyclable in our region. But there’s no end market for plastic fruit containers (clamshells) or Styrofoam takeout containers, and therefore they’re not recyclable in our region.
Beware of recycling myths! Recycling the right way keeps contamination out of our recycling stream and helps recycling facilities to do their job!