How to recycle properly

Effective waste sorting means avoiding a variety of waste. First, you avoid creating a disruption to the disposal chain. Second, you facilitate recycling, and therefore reduce waste. And third, you have a de facto incentive to reduce waste production.

Index of topics

Plastic

Of all the materials that can be recycled, plastic is among the most suitable for complete recycling. Therefore, make room for bottles, pasta bags, cleaning product bottles, ice cream tubs, fruit and vegetable crates and nets, yogurt pots, and even clear croissant and candy wrappers. Do not separate any waste containing organic residues, such as food that could ferment in the garbage, or residues of hazardous substances like paint and glue. Always remember that all containers must be cleaned, emptied, and crushed . Remove any paper labels, and wash yogurt pots before placing them in the plastic bag.

Glass

Bottles, glasses, jars, and glass vases should be placed in the glass bin. You should also not throw away light bulbs, neon tubes, mirrors, crystal glasses, and Pyrex containers, all of which must be recycled differently. Even in this case, it's best to keep the containers clean and, above all, empty : don't throw full or half-full glass bottles in the bin, even if they're just water bottles.

Paper

As for paper and cardboard , you can recycle newspapers , boxes, neatly folded cardboard boxes, as well as notebooks, milk cartons, juice cartons, corn flake cartons, and cardboard egg cartons. Don't throw greasy paper, baking paper, or paper plates and cups in the trash. Always flatten and compress boxes to break large packaging into smaller pieces.

waste bins — Image source: Depositphotos

wet

Food scraps, spoiled foods, fruit peels , tea bags and coffee grounds, dried flowers, and paper napkins should be placed in the organic waste bin, which is usually brown. Don't forget to place these items in tightly sealed bags before throwing them away.

Undifferentiated

Greasy and dirty materials, plates and cutlery (which we told you not to recycle with paper), CDs and DVDs, toys, artificial flowers, vacuum cleaner bags, toothbrushes, and video cassettes should instead be thrown directly into the unsorted waste bin, which is the same bin as all other waste that cannot be recycled. Also remember that if ceramic glasses, cups, and plates break, they should not be thrown into the glass bin but into the unsorted waste bin, as they are materials that cannot be recycled.

Bulky waste

Bulky waste such as furniture, mattresses, and various household appliances must be taken to recycling centers . The same applies to electronic appliances and devices, which require special treatment to remove environmentally hazardous components before being sent for proper disposal.

App junker

In Italy, there are 34 different ways to separate waste, which creates a lot of confusion among citizens. These methods can vary from city to city and even from neighborhood to neighborhood. Three researchers from the University of Bologna have thus created the app Junker, active in 1.800 Italian municipalities, with a database of 800 million products. In practice, for each of these products, it is possible to find out its composition and how to recycle it. Junker has been translated into 12 languages.

CTips for recycling properly

In any case, before purchasing a product, always ask yourself if it is truly useful to you, and before sending objects to the recycling bin, ask yourself if they can have a second life:

Old clothes and fabrics that you no longer need, after having washed them carefully, you can put them in the appropriate bin, usually yellow in colour.

I expired medicines they must not be thrown in the unsorted waste but in special containers which you can find at pharmacies and local health authorities clinics. Same procedure for the batteries are dead which must be recycled in the containers available in electronics stores.

For shopping, use a reusable cotton shopping bag, reuse the boxes as containers and the backs of the sheets of paper to take notes and If you have a garden, try using organic waste as fertilizer.

For house cleaning or personal hygiene favor products with refills to reduce the number of containers or try detergents on tap which cost 20 percent less than traditional products.

Don't throw away receipts with paperThey are made with thermal paper whose components react to heat, creating problems during recycling. The same applies to chemical fax paper, carbonless paper, and carbonless paper. Dispose of receipts and this type of paper in the general waste bin.

PolystyreneAlthough it's not plastic, some municipalities recycle it in the designated bin, while others dispose of it as unsorted waste. In this case, follow your municipality's guidelines.

Tetra pakSeparate waste collection for containers made from this material varies from municipality to municipality. In general, try to rinse and crush the containers thoroughly before throwing them away so that no residue remains inside.

Aluminum: in this case too, follow the regulations of the municipality where you live and pay attention to any food residues that need to be disposed of.

How to recycle waste