Wish-Cycling is putting non-recyclables into the recycling bin, hoping they will be recycled. As a result, Wish-Cycling costs more in labor and machinery to sort out the non-recyclables and dispose of them in the landfill. It contaminates the load of recyclables and makes it harder to process and market the recyclables. Please kōkua, read the signs and recycle properly.
Save space! Flatten your HI-5 containers
Did you know you can flatten your plastic or metal HI-5 containers? Just make sure the HI-5 is visible on the flattened container in order to get your deposit back.
Did you know…
The use of scrap metal instead of virgin materials to make new steel results in a 97 percent reduction in mining wastes, 90 percent savings in virgin materials use, 86 percent reduction in air pollution, 76 percent reduction in water pollution, 74 percent savings in energy, and 40 percent reduction in water use.
Use reusable containers & food service ware
Use reusable containers for food storage instead of wrapping with aluminum or plastic wrap. Provide reusable service ware and utensils instead of single-use plastic or paper products at your next gathering to reduce waste.
Picnic or Party with a Marker
Some time in between the sashimi and the coleslaw, you lost track of your cup, and now there are a sea of matching cups on the table, one of which might be yours. The next time you picnic, set out a permanent marker next to disposable dinnerware so guests can mark their cup and everyone will only use one.
Compost food waste & shredded paper
Did you know that your household food waste can be placed into your compost bin and co-composted with your greenwaste? The moisture from the food is a good addition to the greenwaste to promote high quality land application material. It also helps to promote less frequent rubbish can bag changing since there is no rotten food creating moisture and smell. You can also add most types of shredded paper (no glossy) to your compost pile. For more information about composting, visit the US Composting Council at www.compostingcouncil.org.
Aluminum Consumption
Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild our entire commercial fleet of airplanes every three months. Recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to operate a TV for three hours.
Glass Recycling Impact
Recycling glass instead of making it from silica sand reduces mining waste by 70 percent, water use by 50 percent and air pollution by 20 percent.
Steel Recycling Impact
The energy saved each year by steel recycling is equal to the electrical power used by 18 million homes each year – or enough energy to last Los Angeles residents for eight years.
Purchase Recycled Paper Products
If every U.S. household replaced just one roll of 1,000-sheet virgin fiber bathroom tissues with 100 percent recycled ones, it could save 373,000 trees, 1.48 million cubic feet of landfill space and 155 million gallons of water.