Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Recycle Bags

By Luke Stephens

With all the environmental issues cropping up in our world, a smart choice when going green with recycle bags would be to become relatively knowledgeable about recycling, in general. As a point of fact, more local governments are making recycling mandatory, mainly because they're running out of space in which to bury garbage. Also, the utility of making something new out of old stuff is attractive to many people. When you look at both, going green makes decent sense.

Categories of Recycle Bags. Mainly, recycle bags come in different sizes and colors, each of which will have a specific material or purpose attached to them. There are some general-type bags which just about any material can be thrown into. Find the right color bag (blue, brown, green) for the material to be recycled. Aluminum normally goes into one container, glass into another, paper into still another. Yard waste has its own category, too.

Recycle Containers in General. Most of the time, the choice will be to put recyclables into either a container or into recycle bags. Both have their advantages, and which type you use will depend on the need for storage space and other considerations. Containers can last a long time and are generally durable. Bags, on the other hand, can be biodegradable and easily recycled themselves. Keep in mind the storage requirements for these large, bulky containers. In the end, it may be a choice of which ones are easiest to use.

What Can We Recycle? For the most part, almost anything that's easily processed and doesn't have any hazardous materials in them, like car batteries and such. Aluminum, paper, and glass make ideal candidates. Organic materials like discarded food will deteriorate quickly, anyway, so they can still go into landfills. Check with local green organizations or city governments for more advice.

What isn't Recyclable? Almost anything containing a petroleum product can't go into recycle bags. Additionally, anything containing mercury (super long-lasting light bulbs), or fluorescent bulbs themselves aren't eligible for recycling. Check with your local government for a complete list.

Putting it All Together: A desire to help the environment grows daily among people. Because of that, we've also seen increases in the amount of materials that are being recycled. By using recycle bags in that process, we help the environment while making it easier to get recyclables down to the local recycling facility. Make sure to prevent hazardous materials or dangerous chemicals from making their way into these bags. - 15437

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