Non-recyclable items - Recycling | UW-La Crosse (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you put non recycling in the recycling bin? ›

If you put the wrong items in your recycling bin, they will be sent for disposal and will not be recycled. Sometimes things like nappies and food waste could actually spoil the rest of the recyclables and mean a whole load may need to be disposed of.

Styrofoam: Products made from styrofoam such as meat trays, coffee cups, or fast-food containers cannot be recycled and do not biodegrade. Place items like this safely into the trash as they can easily break into tiny pieces, harming wildlife and contributing to the rise in microplastics.

Waste that can't be recycled, or isn't biodegradable can be used as fuel in EfW (energy from waste). These facilities burn waste, the process produces steam which is used to make electricity by powering a steam turbine. That turbine in turn generates heat for local businesses and homes.

If the wrong materials are put in the wrong bin, the quality of the material is affected and can result in the whole load being unsuitable for recycling, rejected and sent to an energy from waste facility. We will not collect bins containing the wrong materials.

Toys are not collected as part of household collections so should not be put in your home recycling.

Anything with a plug, battery or cable can be recycled – including the cables themselves.

Examples of non-recyclable plastics include bioplastics, composite plastic, plastic-coated wrapping paper and polycarbonate. Well known non-recyclable plastics include cling film and blister packaging.

The recycling process has several stages; collecting bottles from a central location, then shredding them with other PET products, melting the shreds down, and reforming them into pellets. These pellets then act as the raw material for the production of new plastic goods, including new water bottles!

Food contamination is a major issue. Things like greasy pizza boxes and unwashed peanut butter jars can contaminate an entire load of recyclable material. Broken glass is also a problem, as it can contaminate other recyclable materials.

Is the foil on yogurt lids recyclable? ›

Clean Off All Food

Uncoated aluminum foil lids are recyclable if free of food residue. Foil soiled with food, grease, or liquid cannot be recycled, as it contaminates the recycling stream.

Since polystyrene is comprised of petroleum, it does have properties that make it technically recyclable. But EPS is also comprised of more than 90% air, which makes it lightweight and bulky. These properties mean the collection and transportation impacts of recycling EPS often outweigh the environmental benefits.

Metal and rubber are harder to recycle and recycling plastic is even more difficult and not economical. This benefits the environment in several ways: Reduces landfill waste.

These kinds of plastics can clog the processing machinery at recycling facilities, interfering with the recycling process. It's for this reason that it's actually better to dispose of these kinds of non-recyclable plastics in your general waste rather than your recycling bin, as uneconomical as this practice may seem.

Other materials can't be processed in certain facilities. Moreover, many items that are collected, such as plastic straws and bags, eating utensils, yogurt and takeout containers often cannot be recycled. They usually end up being incinerated, deposited in landfills or washed into the ocean.

Deleted files are still recoverable!

Emptying your Recycle Bin doesn't permanently delete your files. So, there is no need to blame your employee for supposedly forgetting to delete that old confidential file or your IT guy for not setting up your data backup and security right.

Yes, it is safe to delete files in the Recycle Bin on each drive.

What Happens to Non-recyclable Plastic? Nearly all non-recyclable plastics end up in landfills — along with a large percentage of contaminated recyclable packaging. This is a major problem because most plastic products take hundreds of years to decompose.

Cleaning out your recycle bin opens up space on your hard drive and helps your computer run faster and more efficiently. So, the bottom line is that you should take out the trash in a timely manner.