⭐️I just want to emphasize that everything you recycle needs to be EMPTY, CLEAN, and DRY! If you don’t clean out your plastics, it could 1) degrade the material, making it lose value and ability to be recycled and/or 2) contaminate the rest of the recycling!

@greeleyestateslove

3 жыл бұрын

Not really....glass and plastic doesn't need to be perfect. Plastic goes through a wet and caustic wash, not sure on glass but I looked it up about if you leave the lime wedge in the glass bottle and have seen that it's fine

@aletheabodine4819

3 жыл бұрын

@@greeleyestateslove decant the beer ... it tastes better that way. ;)

This needs to be taught in every, every, every school. I will definitely show this to my students! Valuable information

@jizzycreams6546

4 жыл бұрын

Elfinartist YES PLZ DO YES soooo important

I never thought one wrong piece of plastic or grease on the pizza box could upset the entire batch! I need to listen to my husband and make sure I RIP the plastic window out of the envelopes before putting them in the recycle!

@faeriesmak

5 жыл бұрын

Check your recycling rules for your area, though. We are allowed to leave plastic windows in.

@mprub4

4 жыл бұрын

It’s not this way for every city. My city made an announcement that the plastic windows can be left in

@msdanascully11

4 жыл бұрын

It is different from Country to Country, town to town .... We all need to check what is done in our area ...

Anti-haul idea: those “smoothies” you can buy in bottles... Just make your own smoothie?

@kelleyrice4801

5 жыл бұрын

Buy the goods you want from a local produce stand or farmers market (so you know exactly what’s being put in and how it was produced) and blend at home to make it personalized & exactly how you want it to taste, then use a stainless steel straw for extra pleasing aesthetics :)

@strangekat2840

5 жыл бұрын

@@kelleyrice4801 If you have stuff like farmers markets or local produce stands.

@kelleyrice4801

5 жыл бұрын

Strange Kat most cities do, mines small and not very many options but if I drive to the next city there’s many more options. And if there’s absolutely no options, we can all try our best to buy organic produce at the grocery store.

@strangekat2840

5 жыл бұрын

@@kelleyrice4801 I live in a small town in rural Yorkshire. There's one supermarket. Organic food is much more expensive, package free isn't an option. Plastic free isn't an option either. It's basically impossible.

@kelleyrice4801

5 жыл бұрын

Strange Kat im sorry :( I hope more options open up around your area, but shout out to you for recognizing it and wanting to do better

This is such a great video for earth month. So many people do not understand recycling. Cleaning out containers, removing labels and separating complex items that are a mixture of partial plastic, partial metal, partial paper is also very important to note. A lot of people do not understand that this needs to be done by them if hey want the item to actually be recycled.

WOW that video of the truck dumping plastic bottles will haunt my dreams.. Amazing video once again Shelbi!!!

@fitbeads8162

3 жыл бұрын

Qtsgshx

They say to not put broken glass in the recycling bin, but when they dump all the recyclables out of the truck don't some of the glass bottles end up getting broken?

@maddieroxx4eva

5 жыл бұрын

I think (at least where I live) they don't want you recycling broken glass so the workers who have to handle the recycling don't accidentally hurt themselves.

@ChrisAllenJohnson

5 жыл бұрын

Our mixed recycling just meant no broken mirrors, windows, and other glass like pint glasses etc. All glass isn’t created equal and our food product glass has a lower melting point. If you mix in a better quality glass like a window, it gums up the glass product that they are intending to melt down.

@samanthaanngraham3130

5 жыл бұрын

I had the same question. when I big trucks come by and grab and dump our single stream bin into the back of the truck, I know the glass I put in the bin breaks. if what Shelby says it's true, prolly every load of recycling would be deemed a loss😟

@alissahartlaub4445

5 жыл бұрын

I had the same question! Haha. Must be a good one!

@adelest9500

5 жыл бұрын

I wonder too, in my country it is literally written on recycling bins that you can put broken glass in it.

My city you just compost pizza boxes so the grease isn't a problem, which is nice!

This is probably a really dumb question, but do you have to take the stickers off glass and plastic before you recycle it ?

@jaxtoncrockett4642

5 жыл бұрын

Lauren O'Neill yes

@meelamiela

5 жыл бұрын

Lauren O'Neill for glass i soak in hot dishwater, labels should already begin to fall off. Scrub off the rest. Then I use goo gone to get rid of glue residue!

@professorthread

5 жыл бұрын

I've lived in places that said you don't and some that say you do. I would check with your local recycling center.

@mariachristina97

5 жыл бұрын

Definitely check locally!

@greeleyestateslove

3 жыл бұрын

No, small stickers are fine on glass/RIGID plastic. The thing about it is that the stickers reduce the ability of the optical sorters to tell what the material beneath is..so coverage is also important. Remove what you can without wasting water needlessly. If it's a shrink wrap (like on kefir and creamer bottles) definitely cut off and remove! Flexible bags such as grocery bags should not have stickers on them -remove if you see them

Thank you for emphasizing the different materials, different facilities will accept. A conversation I had the other day with a fellow recycler was about the bottle caps. I had read an article stating that we can leave the caps on, but where I recycle now, we have to remove the caps. So yes always check with your facility to make sure what you're trying to recycle is actually being recycled!

@faeriesmak

5 жыл бұрын

Rachel Cannon we have to remove the caps and the caps cannot be put into the recyclables at all.

Sort of sad to see fewer people watching this when its SO crucial to know what youre saying. And its even cut to the very shortest essence and put so understandably. I appreciate it, i hope people will learn from you

This is definitely helpful! Bea Johnson does make a good point though that going zero waste isn’t about recycling more, it’s about recycling less. I recycle most of my stuff but try to reuse things more too. But I always try to find an alternative for things I’m getting rid of in life.

In Madison Wisconsin you can recycle broken glass - check out your local recycler’s website to see what is and is not recyclable in your area. My recycler has a “recyclopedia” with all that info.

@faeriesmak

5 жыл бұрын

L Zebell Hello! I am from WI too!

Thank you for doing this video Shelby!! I'm a big recycler and always have been. For many years we did not have single-stream recycling. We had to separate metal, glass and plastic from our paper recycling. Over the past several years it has changed to single-stream recycling. I didn't know that that's what it was called until this video so I'm glad I learned something new. Now I have to get really diligent on not putting in anything that might contaminate my batch. I know that in the past I probably have put some Plastics into recycling that I shouldn't have because it feels awful to throw it in the trash. So now I will get the most recent updated info on what Plastics can and can't be recycled in my city. So, thanks again for doing this video and reminding me to improve my recycling.

I love where I live, the recycling facility here accepts plastics #1-7! Even shopping bags!

Thank you for taking your time and organize all this info for people. Recycling is pretty confusing at times, especially for the elderly who aren’t used to it. You’re helping a lot your community and the world 🌍🌱

Early!! I alsowant to try to go zero waste for the summer so this is right in time. :)

How do you feel about industrially compostable stuff? I feel like so many folks dont have the means to send it along to facilities.

I needed this video. Thanks so much!!! I've been trying to reduce my waste in general but I always wonder about different materials!

I’m just getting back in to recycling just for some extra cash and to be relational about naturally a lot of me and my family drink outta plastic, use cardboard boxes for TV dinners etc. Glass beers, cans of organic sodas etc. ♻️

thank you! wondering about the glass... if I put the glass container in my recycling is that also bad because it can break in transit? is this something to worry about?

This is such a helpful video, I didn't even know about the different types of plastic. Thank you for this video 😊

I really really needed this video 😩 thank you so much, Shelbi!!

They recently drastically changed our recycling policy in my town. Which has resulted in many people stop recycling unfortunately. If they see a plastic bottle cap, they won't pick up any of the recycling. You even has to remove the plastic brand name on a plastic bottle (like if you have a bottle of soda you would need to remove the wrapper from the bottle)

@lilzflower

5 жыл бұрын

That is probably because China, and other countries that are taking our recycling, have began to institute a zero tolerance policy for contamination. China is the most strict, only accepting recycling with less than 0.5% contamination. In the US, we have a contamination rate over 30%. Most places in the US don’t have local infrastructure, or if they do, they can’t find buyers that will buy the contaminated loads. A little bit of contamination means a lot of money for the people that have to sort it out!

@micheleh4639

5 жыл бұрын

@@lilzflower That is a good point.

I love the work you do. This video is filled with so much good info.

Girl thank you so much for this info. I love your content .

Short and to the point! Thank you for your time!

Thanks so much for the new info 💛

I have a question! i live in apartments and we have a huge dumpster for recycling. When I dump my recycling bin into it, glass breaks. What do I do?

This video is so helpful to make some changes in my recycling life 💕

For shampoo bottles that have a pump should I take off the pump for recycling?

Awesome! Thank you for demystifying recycling.

Me and my partner's minds are blown. Can't believe how much we been messing up our recycling batch. THANK YOU!!

Yes!!! This is a great video! I’m always telling my fam that you have to look at the number (1,2,5,etc). 👍

I learned a lot from this video, thank you!

Thank you so much for the excellent information 😇

We have a recology recycling truck service for our school at my work. And it’s so great because pre-k students make so much waste!

This was a really informative, but simple/straightforward video! Thanks so much for sharing :))

How clean does something have to be to be accepted when recycled? Is a quick rinse with water fine and mostly clean, or do I need to get in there and scrub every bit of peanut butter out of the jar? Always wondered that.

@ashleymac4762

5 жыл бұрын

Elizabeth B. Completely clean 🥴

@lilzflower

5 жыл бұрын

Anything left on there will degrade the material making it worth less and harder to recycle!

@mariachristina97

5 жыл бұрын

Check locally! In NYC, a quick rinse will do for most things.

Thank you for making this video!! I actually got to look into my local recycling system and I'm thinking of volunteering when Covid calms down!!

Thank for the information, that helps!

Thanks for this great video I'm using thing to recycle better at home and progect

Agree. All kids need to be taught .

Loved this video, more educational videos like this would be awesome!

I live in a apartment complex and I get frustrated when people put the wrong thing into the recycling bin. Even the recyclers will dump the container and the glass is broken all over. Just had to let that off my chest and I know .....me included we all not perfect. Thanks for having your show.

I wanted to ask something about recycling that I don't hear often about. I live in Greece and we have regular garbage bins, recycling bins for tin-paper-plastic, bins for glass and recently we got those red bins for clothes- shoes- bags- fabrics. So the content of the red bins goes either on charity, is sold as second hand clothing or is used for other purposes such as insulation material , car seat filling etc. It is a new idea ( at least here 😆 ) and I was wondering if it is something that also happens abroad, as I have never seen any video referring to clothe recycling. Of course it's better not to waste cloths , but I would really want to hear your opinion about it as you are an expert on recycling matters or ( even better) make a video about this topic . Thank you 💚 , I always love your content ❤❤

@thefrugallife-withmercedes7718

5 жыл бұрын

Most places in America don't offer fabric recycling through curbside pickup. I actually don't know of any. (Dosen't mean there aren't any) In Virginia where I live you have to donate fabric and shoes to a thrift store and they sort through everything and send it to the proper places. Or you can go to the town dump and they might have a bin you put used items in. However in most cases used clothing doesn't get recycled. They get sent to third world countries and then messes with local clothing industries.

@ma.jbrony1754

3 жыл бұрын

@@thefrugallife-withmercedes7718 Though, don't forget about Goodwill!! :DD

@Shelbizleee I have a question about glass recycling. You say you can't recycle a broken glass jar. But when my recycling is picked up it is put into a garbage truck that does the compacting thing. So isn't all the glass smashed by the time it gets to the recycling center? So does that mean we can't really recycle glass?

Wow! I didn’t know most of this. Thank you for sharing this important information. I’ve Ben doing a lot wrong!

Hi ! I am trying to reduce my waste and recycle what I still have, how does the recycling of metals such as cans work ?

@iloverainbowbright

5 жыл бұрын

Metal cans that don't have the plastic liners in them are infinitely recyclable, just pull off the paper label and rinse them. Almost all curbside takes tin, aluminum and steel cans.

@iloverainbowbright

5 жыл бұрын

@@l.2008 ok, my comment was about those lined with plastic not really the paper label, you should remove it regardless, when batches are contaminated they are often just taken to the landfill.

Thanks for this informative video? So what do we do with the plastic number 5 then? Do I bring it to the recycling place ?

@lilzflower

5 жыл бұрын

Most of the time you have to throw it away. Check your city or recycling company’s website though to be sure! :)

@elizabethmatchefts8509

5 жыл бұрын

My recycling company won't take number 5, but the Wholefoods near me will. I collect it in a separate place and drop it off at wholefoods when I have enough.

@Lilapurple111

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks guys for the answer. I’ll check out my Whole Foods

you look stunning in that stripey shirt. thank you for making education on these topics so accessible.

I’m so glad I found this video. I’ve been sharing it with everyone I know!!!

How do i get more info on making sure im recycling correctly. I know i have to clean things out but what about taking labels off cans and the tape and labels on boxes?

@lilzflower

5 жыл бұрын

Check your local recycling company or city’s website! Most of the time you do not need to take off labels on cans because they will be burned away in the melting process. Labels on boxes are normally considered contaminants, and will degrade the value and quality of the cardboard. But check your local guidelines! :)

How does glass not break when it is dumped in to the truck or compressed in the truck? 💖

I would love if you could do a recycling 101 video for newbies. there are so many questions like can you recycle paper towels what about envelopes with plastic windows in them, what about stickers on food jars, do I have to clean items before recycling.

The recycling plant in my area is a real stickler and I saw during an externship that they _will throw away_ full ends of the line of recyclables if there are items that weren’t prepped properly. I don’t know if every plant is quite that cutthroat but I know there isn’t a recycling plant that will wash your recycling for you. People really need to figure out where their recyclables go and learn how their local plant deals with them because there are a lot of recyclable materials going to land fills just because people are throwing out anything with a recycling label out without understanding that more may need to go into it

Thank you for helping me with my homework

No.6 plastic can be used to make keychains and other little dyi presents if you have any it can be used as that shrink plastic stuff ❤

Solution for soiled pizza boxes, napkins, paper towels, Kleenex, etc: Start a compost pile in your yard or even in a bucket indoors! Worms eat it up just fine, and it stays out of the landfill. Bonus: Free compost!!

So much good information in this video!

does anyone know if borosilicate glass is recyclable?

Thank you for making this video!

As always, thank you so much for this video, Shelbi! I’m shocked to see how incredibly different the recycling process in the US is, compared to where I live now. In Spain and Germany you have different bins for the recyclable materials (plastic, paper, glass, compost, clothes and sometimes even different types of glass colors and another one for used oil), and usually plastic containers tell you if they can be recycled. I’d love to know if it differs from region to region, although I believe it’s not so... Anyway, thanks for the content, as usual! :3

What about empty cans of wet cat food? I always rinse them out so they are nice and clean on the inside, but it has the paper brand label around the outside of the metal. I wonder if that messes things up.

I know those video is old, but it showed up on my recommended. And I love it 😅👍

Super helpful.thanx

Thank you for such an informative and well made video. This is a very important but often confusing subject. I'm curious also about the aluminium cans and aluminium products, is the recycling process easier than plastic recycling?

Great video- get it so much more now!

I just looked at the recycling my city does take and I'm surprised to see they take all numbers of plastic. I never knew those numbers meant something before! Thank you for enlightening me. I think its really important if you want to recycle right to just check your city's guidelines and see what they accept and what they don't.

Hi Shelby, what about places that are stopping accepting glass for recycling? My city is no longer accepting glass for recycling because it’s not profitable for the recycling companies. In this case do you think it’s better to buy in plastic that can be recycled?

we are told that if you do have clean broken glass, you are supposed to put it in a box or bag and tape shut and label broken glass! so they know and then it can still be recycled.

I recycle a house of 8 . I can't get them vegan , but I can reclye for them. We try to avoid plastic . I grew up with an area that recycled. As I adultted it was less available. But now it's making a comeback.😁

I take plastic film packaging, plastic bags and other thin plastics to my local Kroger as you stated about drop odd. Do you have any more info on what plastics are accepted at stores like that.

@lindseyheringer2641

5 жыл бұрын

Also what about stickers and packing tape? Does all of that need to be removed from cardboard or plastic before sending it to recycling?

The information really useful for me because I just start to learn how to recycle from home huhu 😍

In Virginia where I live the recycling program now will not take any glass or most plastic. They will only take plastic 1 and 2 or metal. They are encouraging everyone to continue recycle everything. And they will throw the unwanted stuff out for us. Not a good idea in my opinion. Then the good stuff could be thrown away with the bad. Also it will cost man hours to sort the extra materials. Not to mention the water wasted on rinsing items. Very informative video!

What about plastic bags that have a line through the recycle ♻ symbol but say plastic bag underneath?

Very helpful! Thank you!!

Very informative video!

Thank you for your videos

Are recycling facilities able to separate plastic tape from cardboard?

@lilzflower

5 жыл бұрын

Most of them are not able to! Plastic tape is considered a contaminate in cardboard and paper recycling.

Great vid. What about stickers? That’s my main concern. I read stickers are not recyclable in turn making products non recyclable because it can take ages to get off the gunk. Thoughts?

Hi there! I just saw you on the latest episode of the Minimalists. I've recently discovered minimalism and zero-waste lifestyel and I'm ALL ABOUT IT! How can anyone not want to be a part of this? Your videos are great and I can't want to go through other ones

I contacted my local council about broken glass and was told that they do take it , because basically the way it gets thrown around it will most likely get broken on the way to the facility. But they were happy when I said that I do label a box with broken glass inside.

Very informative

I loved this video!

Wait. But if broken glass isn't allowed, then how do you ensure the glass doesn't break when recycling trucks lift it into the back of said truck?

@Shelbizleee

3 жыл бұрын

you cannot ensure that.

I am from Spokane, Washington. We have single stream recycling here, but I did learn today that instead of actually recycling the glass that they receive, they use it to cover landfill each night. Apparently this is an alternative to avoid bringing rocks in from a quarry? I don’t know how to weigh the pros and cons of this. Obviously it is best to reduce and reuse rather than throw things right into the recycle, but is there a way to measure whether Spokane county is doing this to save money rather than reducing the negative effects that mining has on the environment?

Thank you! very helpful :)

Very interesting! I'm ashamed of how bad I have been at recycling. But, nobody tells us how.

I am going to do a famliy home evening about this because of your show Shelbi!

Please make a separate video about Ecosia! I have seen you mention it in your other videos but I really feel it deserves a mini-video of it's own!

What about bottle tops?

Can you please do a video on what to do with the caps and rings on plastic bottles... leave them on, take them off? Thanks for your hard work!

My county doesn't recycle glass :( Is there anywhere reasonable I could take it? I try to reuse it, but my heart sinks when I have to toss it.

@Escapetehcube

5 жыл бұрын

Mine takes 2 liter bottles, but only clear ones so look out for that! My husband is a big soda drinker so I at least want to recycle the bottles... They won't take Sprite/Ginger ale, but they'll take Coke. I wish that Sprite would change their bottles to clear because I feel like this is a common practice with recycling facilities.

How about the labels for cardboard, glass, and plastic?

@ChrisAllenJohnson

5 жыл бұрын

Try to remove all labels on cardboard. Plastic is okay and I would check that you can recycle glass. Glass is actually not always collected in bins.

My area doesn't even recycle glass :( Whyyyyy??

@henriettelinkshanderin1449

5 жыл бұрын

Ask your mayor! Someday they will want your vote so they will listen to you.

@carolann811

5 жыл бұрын

I live in rural Kentucky. They did recycle glass when I moved here six years ago but stopped three years ago. The reason we were given is it's too expensive to haul the glass to a recycling facility (our county only collects, then ships). Glass is heavy and it's cost prohibitive to handle, store and then truck the glass to a facility. I've searched for anywhere to take my glass and have yet to find a place that's within a reasonable (an hour or so) distance to take my glass for recycling. Although I understand videos like this are made for a larger audience, it frustrates me slightly to hear I should buy in glass over plastic as it's a better alternative in regards to recycling. Not for me. Glass here just gets put in the garbage.

Recently discovered that some county’s have apps for recycling! They tell you exactly what things you can and can’t recycle. You can look them up on your local waste management website.

OMG all this time i was doing it totally wrong. I wish waste management can educate people with printouts or something that people would know how to recycle.

When putting recyclables in the recycling bin, is it better to recycle them in a plastic trash bag so they don't get messed up by people that didn't recycle appropriately or is it better to throw them in as is and hope for the best? Note: Edited for clarity

@Shelbizleee

5 жыл бұрын

If an item is recyclable you should 100% put it in the recycling. If it gets throw out due to contamination it will end up in landfill anyway. By putting it straight into landfill it doesn't even stand a chance which is about as unfortunate as it can get. Definitely recycle recyclables.

@rebekahkrause4458

5 жыл бұрын

@@Shelbizleee Sorry, I should have clarified in my question. I meant, when I put my recycling in the recycling bin I typically put it in a plastic trash bag to keep it safe ftom contamination. I always make sure to recycle my recyclables. 😃 Anyways, should I stop doing that or is it better to do that to help protect the recyclables until they can be sorted at the recycling plant? I don't want to waste the plastic bags but I don't want my recycling to get contaminated either.

Is the 25% off only for your first order?