Category: Recyling Works

Traditional dryer sheets are a single-use item usually made of thin polyester that’s been covered in chemicals that smell good, soften your clothes and eliminate static. But what should be done with them after that one use?

Methane, a flammable greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide for having the potential of causing or continuing global warming, is created by rotting food disposed in a landfill as it decomposes.

Napkins and paper towels are easily made from very small, shorter fibers. In fact, they are one of, if not the last, item made from recycled paper before it can’t be recycled again.  Napkins and paper towels are a very low grade of paper.

Frozen food containers vary from pizza boxes, where the food is actually contained in a plastic bag or wrapping, to ones that you throw right into your microwave to cook in and eat out of.

What’s in a color? More than you might think. Color isn’t just something we choose because it’s pretty or bright and attention getting. There is a whole psychology behind why we like or choose the colors that we do.

Disposable razors gained immediate popularity as a convenient alternative to the straightedge blade that had to be re-sharpened.

Although today’s disposable razors are far from what the original disposables were, they were a step in the right direction in a razor for shorter-term use that had a definite end of its life and usefulness. Years later…enter the plastic disposable razors that we know today.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans wear out about 290 million tires a year, and recycle 233 million of them. This number is actually astonishing and lands way above the recycling rate for some items that we would think would be recycled at a far higher rate.

Single Stream recycling, also called "Fully Commingled" or "Single Sort", is a process where all recyclable items are collected together in a single bin instead of being separated into different bins at your home. That single bin is collected and emptied into one truck along with other single stream bins in your neighborhood.. These commingled items are sorted and separated by type and eventually make their way to companies who can use these commodities to make new items.

When we think of being done with a book, we usually think of giving it to a friend or dropping it off at a donation site.  Sometimes, however, it becomes necessary to be done with it entirely and dispose of it.  But where does this type of item go?

Disposable paper cups are easy and convenient, but what should we do with them when we’re done with them?