Gwen Berry
You’ve probably heard that the Chinese government has put their foot down and banned the import of some common types of recycled items because of too much contamination in the shipments. Maybe you’ve read about the result – sudden upheaval in the recycling market. There are reports of overflowing recycling centers with nowhere to send the recycles. Dire voices say it’s likely some of it will end up in landfills. But how about here in Klickitat County? What’s the status of our recycling system?
The County says, “Nothing’s changed.” The company that processes recycled stuff from Klickitat County has found new buyers in Southeast and Southwest Asia, so keep on recycling!
They do want people to recycle more carefully, though. Make sure that what you’re putting in the bin or bag is really on the list of accepted items. No more “wishful recycling” where you throw a questionable item in, “hoping” it can be recycled. If in doubt, call Klickitat County Solid Waste (509-773-4448) and ask, or just throw it away. The County also has a detailed YES/NO list on their website, www.klickitatcounty.org/436/Recyclable-Materials. Get familiar with it; it’s really helpful. Also, pay more attention to the condition of the items you’re recycling. They need to be empty, clean and as dry as possible.
Here are some things you may not know:
Lids to plastic containers are recyclable, but they don’t sort correctly. Replace the lid on the original container before recycling.
Metal lids of any kind are recyclable, but only if they are larger than 3” in diameter. That means most can tops that come off with a can opener are not recyclable. Again, it’s a sorting issue.
No matter what kind of container, if it held an oil-based, caustic, or poisonous product it is not recyclable.
The Holiday Season. This brings up specific recycling issues. Is tissue paper recyclable? (Yes, as long as it doesn’t have glitter in it or a metallic pattern printed on it.) How about other wrapping paper? (Yes, if it’s just paper, not paper with a plastic finish or with metallic/foil elements.) No bows or ribbon. No gift bags, which usually have a plastic layer. A simple test is: does it tear cleanly? If you can see the paper layer and a separate layer, it’s a no-go.
Many of our holiday traditions and activities generate unusually large amounts of waste: shopping bags, shipping boxes and packing materials, merchandise packaging, batteries, gift wrapping, greeting cards and envelopes, broken light strings, dried-up Christmas trees, wasted food, and more. So here are some suggestions:
Think of ways to avoid generating that waste in the first place, like taking along reusable shopping bags, sending e-greetings instead of paper cards, or using 100% recycled shipping boxes.
Avoid purchasing items with excess packaging.
Reuse or re-purpose anything you can, and recycle as much as you can.
Seek out alternative recycling opportunities – for example, www.holidayleds.com. You can mail them your old broken light strings. They’ll recycle them and send you a coupon for 15% off your next purchase of holidayleds.com LED Christmas light strings.