Recycling 101

In the kitchen area of my office the other day I saw that someone had mistakenly put a plastic bag containing a Styrofoam food box in the recycle bin.  I lamented to another worker standing nearby that people are just not getting educated about what items are recyclable. It is hard to keep track, but although she agreed plastic bags don’t go in the bin she thought the Styrofoam was ok if it was cleaned first. Part of the confusion is that we are lucky enough to have our recycled materials streamed which means you can put all your recycles together and they will separate them on the mainland. Waste Management also expanded how many types of plastic can be recycled.  Just try to remember it is still no plastic bags or Styrofoam.

Plastic shopping bags have posed a challenge around the world due to the fact that they are great shopping bags (very strong) and are really cheap to produce, about ¼ the cost of a paper bag. However, not only do they pollute the oceans and beaches in Key West and the rest of the world, they also clog the machinery that separates the recyclables.

Styrofoam on the other hand is just not economically feasible to recycle and takes years to degrade naturally. The alternative is to try to use less of it for food and packaging. Luckily there are mail/shipping stores in Key West who will happily recycle packaging for you. For a complete list of recyclable materials in Key West go to http://tinyurl.com/bybvlmz. Just remember, no Styrofoam or plastic shopping bags in your recycle bin.

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