6 Common Recycling Misconceptions
Recycling your waste is one of the easiest ways you can contribute to bettering the environment; however, it must be done in the correct way. Contrary to what some people believe, you cannot place items of your choice into recycling and expect them to be recycled; nor is all recycling free. At CopperRock, we are passionate about recycling and want to assist our community with learning the correct recycling practices. Therefore, we’ve created a helpful list of 6 common recycling misconceptions so that you can develop good recycling habits. 1. All Recycling is Free Busted: Some recycling comes at a cost As much as we wish recycling could be free, there are charges associated with recycling some items. This is because some recyclable items require more physical labour to be broken down into a state that is suitable for recycling, and the extra cost is simply going towards paying staff for their hard work. The following items can be recycled but come at an extra cost: Tyres Green waste Concrete, bricks and tiles Mattresses Mixed rubble Motor oil Commercial paper and cardboard 2. Biodegradable materials can be recycled Busted: These are specifically designed for general waste only What may surprise some people is that biodegradable packaging and bio plastics, while they look like they could be recycled, are actually not designed for recycling. This is because these materials are specifically designed to break down in the general waste stream and are not recyclable because they start to degrade before the recycling process can begin. 3. Disposable coffee cups can be recycled Busted: They cannot be recycled under any circumstance Some people are under the impression that disposable coffee cups and their lids are recyclable; however, this is not the case. Coffee cups cannot be recycled because they are made up of a mix of materials that are difficult to recycle, which is why they need to be placed into general waste. However, these coffee cups can take up to 30 years to break down in landfill, so it is recommended that you bring a reusable coffee cup to your local café to minimise the amount of coffee cups that go into landfill. Read the complete article to know more about waste and recycling process.