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It’s not always easy to get things right when it comes to recycling. Here are some answers to some questions on the subject.
Are objects with a wax coating recyclable?
No, generally speaking, they are not recyclable. Frozen juice boxes, paper coffee cups, cereal box bags, photos and gum wrappers should therefore be put in the trash.
On the other hand, lottery tickets, magazines, playing cards, cardboard transit tickets without chips, tissue boxes (including the plastic from the slot) can be recycled. “It’s better to leave this plastic edge on the box, because once it’s bought by third parties, in their processes, the plastic will be separated from the material,” explains Daphnée Champagne, from Recyc-Québec.
Can plastic packaging for cheese cartons be recycled?
Yes, since it is a soft plastic. It is recommended that all soft plastics—bubble wrap, single-use tablecloths, and grocery bags—be placed in a clear, tied bag.
Many people use the “bag of bags” technique. Is it a good idea to combine all plastic packaging into one bag to prevent it from blowing away? And if a mistake is made in filling it, will the entire “bag of bags” be discarded from recycling?
The “bag of bags” is indeed an encouraged practice, confirms M.me Champagne. Since “soft plastic is a very light material and can easily fly away, the bag-of-bags method makes it easier [le tri]. » This recycled material is difficult to revalue, and the bag of bags allows for better baling to find outlets for it.
In sorting centers, the “bags of bags” are not opened and are added as is to the bale. “If there is an error, like a small piece of invoice at the bottom of one of the bags, it will reduce the quality of the bale as a whole: obviously, the more contaminants there are, the less interesting it is for the buyer.”
It seems counterintuitive to use a bag to hold the inside of our blue bin. Are we harming recycling if we leave our items in there all jumbled up?
It is not necessary to bag everything in the recycling bins.
Mme Champagne advises to “put all the containers, the packaging, in a jumble” in the bin, without nesting them one inside the other. “If it’s stacked, especially if different materials are stacked, it lengthens the work of the sorters, in addition to adding certain difficulties for the machinery, which identifies the material with optical readers.”
Are potato chip bags recyclable?
No, because they are made of a lamination of several types of plastics and materials that are impossible to separate. Therefore, they must be thrown away. The packaging of granola bars, chocolate and the bags of certain pet foods must also be thrown away.
Only potato chip tube packaging is recyclable. You can put it in the recycling bin if it is made of recyclable plastic (i.e. if it has the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7) or if you can separate the cardboard from the metal.
Should we unscrew the plastic cap of mostly cardboard packaging?
“What we want is to really simplify the gesture for the citizen. So, it is preferable to leave the cap on multi-layer cardboard containers,” such as milk and juice cartons, explains Mme Champagne. It is also not necessary to crush the containers before placing them in the bin.
Can soiled pizza boxes be recycled?
It depends. If they are only slightly soiled, yes, they should be recycled. However, parts that are very greasy should be composted. The same goes for cardboard plates or paper bags.
So, since they are often soaked in grease, popcorn bags should also be thrown in the trash.
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