Are You Recycling the Right Way?

Today is National Recycling Day. Are you recycling the right way? Here are some common recycling myths.

1. You can put electronics in the recycling bin. Nope, don't do it. The lithium ion batteries can explode and catch fire. You can recycle electronics, but you need to take them to a specific electronic recycling center.
2. You can recycle plastic bags. My wife and I found this out because we got a note from the sanitary workers telling us to stop putting the plastic bags in the bin. This is just the plastic bags you put your groceries in. Sandwich bags and ziplock bags CAN be recycled. But you do have to trim the zippers off the bags.
3. You don't have to worry about separating the garbage and recycling. Yes, you do. Garbage can clog up recycling equipment, so you need to make sure you don't put it in your bin.
4. An item can only be recycled once. Plastic does have a fairly short life for recycling, but glass and metal can be recycled over and over again.
5. The things you recycle must be in good condition.You can crush up that can and still put it in the recycle center. However, if you live in a state where you need to go deposit them in the machines yourself, you won't want to do that because you're destroying the bar code on the can or bottle that is needed to put it through the machine.