Virtues of recycling

November 15 is America Recycles Day.

Let’s make it America Recycles Right Day.

Recycling is far from broken. Lake County saves $49.03 on every ton kept out of the Missoula landfill.

Our current problems with recycling began when other communities threw everything together and shipped it to China hoping they would clean up our mess.

The Chinese consequently, quit accepting the USA’s recycling because of the garbage in it, everything from diapers to live ammunition. We even find those and more in the recycling we collect in Lake County.

Contamination is why we no longer recycle everything we used to. This is where recycling right comes in!

First, just because you think or wish something could be recycled does not mean it can. Please call and ask before you contaminate everyone else’s recyclables.

Always make sure your recycling items are clean, dry, and have no food in or on them. Remove bottle caps and pour out any liquid. Please rinse your milk jugs. Pizza boxes (or any other item) with grease or food on them are trash. Be sure to separate your materials into the proper bins. There are new signs on the bins to help you. Never put any plastic bags in your recycling. They jam machinery.

It is far better to throw out one thing than to contaminate a ton of material and send it to the landfill.

If in doubt, throw it out!

Please take the Lake County Recycler’s Pledge – “Within the next year, I will reduce the amount of waste I produce, I will recycle more, I will recycle right, and I will buy products made with recycled content.”

Just imagine the box you drop in the bin today showing up later with your birthday present inside.

Thank you for Recycling Right!

For more information, https://americarecyclesday.org/

—Mark E. Nelson, Lake County Solid Waste Manager