Junk that Cannot Be Recycled – What Happens to It?

The amount of waste generated in the USA, is overwhelming. This trash has to go somewhere, and unfortunately, this means that more and more trash is finding its way into our landfills, which is not a good thing at all. This has a negative effect on our environment as our landfills are filling up at an unprecedented rate. 

As more and more people understand the threat that incorrect waste disposal presents to us and to our planet, more of us are taking positive steps to curb this waste problem. So any recycling that is done is a significant step in the right direction. Instead of having the attitude of what difference will it make if I throw a plastic bottle away into the trash, we know that any effort to do the right thing by recycling correctly will make a difference. Plastic bottles are in fact the quickest items to sink to the ocean floor, and they will lie there forever as they will never biodegrade.

It is therefore essential at all times to recycle correctly. It should become second nature to all of us because most of the goods we buy come wrapped in some sort of recyclable material such as plastic, cardboard, or other materials such as polystyrene. Recycling saves lots of the energy that would be used in the manufacture of new products. It also prevents our environment from being polluted unnecessarily. This results in a healthy environment for all of us to live in. 

When we need a waste removal and disposal company, we need to be sure that it is reputable and complements our recycling efforts.

What We Can Recycle

• Paper and Cardboard

  These are the easiest materials to recycle. They include newspapers, office paper, magazines, junk mail, and cardboard.

• Glass

  Clear bottles, green bottles, and amber bottles, unwanted glass jars, broken glasses can all be recycled. 

• Aluminum Cans

  These cans can be successfully recycled. Just some interesting information - recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a tv for three hours. Recycling aluminum cans means that they can be remanufactured, filled, and back on the store’s shelf within three months.

• Steel Cans

  These are different from aluminum in that they possess a magnetic field. Recycling these save a lot of energy.

• Plastic Bottles/Containers

  Plastic is one of the main sources of pollution in our environment even though they are easily recyclable.

What We Cannot Recycle

• Plastic-coated Containers

  This includes those coated in glossy materials such as juice boxes, frozen food boxes, and takeout hot drink cups. It is difficult to separate the two layers of material, so they cannot be recycled.

• Any Boxes, Paper, or Plastic Packaging that is Soiled by Food

  These are contaminated and must be kept out of the recycling process. They can result in an entire load of recycling being rejected which would then be disposed of in the landfill. The reason is that these contaminated pieces of plastic or paper end up jamming the recycling machine and can cause stoppages or even break the machine. These include pizza boxes, used paper plates, dirty paper towels and napkins, and dirty or greasy plastic packaging.

• Polystyrene containers

  These include takeout containers and packaging.

• Cloth Materials and Rags

  These are the ones we use in our kitchens and cannot be recycled.

How Not Recycling Affects Our Environment

Failing to recycle harms our planet in many ways, and here are just a few of them.

1. Landfills are affected

   Recyclable or biodegradable materials that are thrown into the garbage eventually land in our landfills. Our landfills are fast reaching their capacity, so it is advisable to only fill them with non-recyclable materials. Finding space for a new landfill is not easy. Property in urban areas is at a premium, and besides no one wants to live next door to a landfill. In rural areas, it often means using land that has vegetation that should be extracting carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

2. Greenhouse gases are released 
   

   When organic waste such as food waste decomposes, it releases potent greenhouse gases, namely methane amongst others. These gases form a layer around the earth that traps heat and is a contributor to climate change.
   
   Plastic is manufactured using petroleum products which also release these gases. This is why it is so important to recycle plastic so that it can be reused to manufacture new products.

3. Soil and groundwater are polluted
   

   These recyclable waste items leach chemicals that find their way into the groundwater and eventually the soil as they decompose. Potentially these can find their way into our drinking water as well as the soil where our food is grown. This may cause damage to both humans and animals. 

4.  Creating new items requires raw materials
   

   These raw materials are obtained mainly through mining or drilling. When recycling is done correctly though, these materials can be sourced from recycled products. This saves the environment from the effects of mining and other methods of resource extraction. It is, therefore, more important than ever to recycle where we can. It is incumbent on all of us to do our best with recycling and trying to reach the goal of zero waste in our lives.

Little Green Junk

When you need to dispose of any household waste be sure to use a reputable waste removal company such as Little Green Junk. If there are items that cannot be recycled, be sure to give us a call as we are a professional junk removal company that will remove them and dispose of them in a responsible manner. We need to work together to ensure that our environment is preserved.

We pride ourselves in being punctual and we treat our customers with the respect they deserve. We know that this is a difficult time so trust us to remove anything efficiently and professionally.

We can also help with the removal of any yard waste and your e-waste. We offer a same-day waste removal service for those emergencies if that is what you require.

You can rest assured that we recycle where we can, and only use the landfill as a last resort, so we can be considered an eco-friendly waste removal company. We even clean up the area after we have loaded your unwanted junk.

Call us at the following number: 717 988 0997. 

We look forward to hearing from you.

Email: inquiries@littlegreenjunk.com

www.littlegreenjunk.com