Is everything that you put into your recycling bin getting recycled?
Cape Coral resident Melody wonders.
She puts items in her recycling bin at her Cape Coral home every week. She said she mainly puts plastics, cans, glass and boxes into her bin. She said she feels good knowing she’s helping make the environment a cleaner place, but sometimes she wonders is she’s truly contributing.
She said figuring out what should or shouldn’t go in the recycling and in what condition can be a mess.
"Whenever we ask the residents to recycle, we ask them for first to put it in clean, dry and loose in the recycling bin," said Kylar Johnson, Lee County recycling coordinator.
But how clean do items need to be? Johnson explains.
"We want people to do a quick rinse on their recycling items," Johnson said. "It doesn't have to be an excessive amount of water use, but just a quick way to get the spaghetti sauce off of the jar. Then, if you do have a peanut butter jar, we asked residents to soak it with warm water and soap."
After an item is clean and dry, Johnson said it’s important you’re not placing it in something like a bag. She said plastic bags are their number one contaminate, and even those with words like “please recycle” are a no-go.
"In small print, it says please bring back to store," Johnson said.
However, you can clear the clutter of plastic containers as long as they don’t have any food scraps, grease, or oil. She said that's because they are now soiled and contaminated.
Other products that contaminate? Paper towels, napkins and plates. Items that are “stringy” like Christmas lights, blankets, extension cords and garden hoses also shouldn't be recycled.
Lee County Solid Waste partnered with the “recycling” coach app, which shows users how to dispose of these things properly.
But how much trash is being contaminated in Lee County? Johnson said about 1 in 5 items.
Most of that is sorted through and converted into renewable energy. Some end up in bales, or large blocks of material. That’s why Johnson said, "When in doubt, please throw items out."
Melody thinks a better system overall would do the trick. But in the meantime, she thinks people need to be more educated.
"I would like more people to become aware of exactly how they can process their own recycling and have it ready for the recycling plant," Melody said.
Melody is just hoping to make tomorrow an environmentally friendly place.
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