Recycling

WHY SHOULD I RECYCLE?
Recycling is a simple way that you, as a consumer, can help preserve earth's natural resources.
Making products with recycled materials slows the depletion of non-renewable resources such as metal, oil and natural gas.
It takes less energy to make products with recycled materials than virgin materials. For example, it takes 20 times more energy to make aluminum from bauxite ore than using recycled aluminum. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a computer for 3 minutes.
Because most energy in the United States is generated by burning fossil fuels, using less energy means generating fewer greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
Recycling isn't just good for the environment, it's good for business. By recycling you are supporting a growing industry in the United States. Recycling protects and expands U.S. Manufacturing jobs ans increases U.S. competitiveness.
Recycling is incredibly easy - but make sure to learn how to recycle properly!

WHY CAN'T I RECYCLE PIZZA BOXES?
In general,  food is the worst contaminant for a recycling stream. You can't recycle any type of paper (pizza boxes, paper plates, paper cups, etc.) that have been contaminated with food (water is ok) because the grease from the pizza, food, etc. seeps into the paper or cardboard which makes it unrecyclable. Water is used at the paper pulping plant to separate the paper fibers so that they can be made into new paper, if oil or other food seeps into the paper it makes this separation process impossible.
Take a look at your pizza box, paper plate, etc. If the paper or cardboard is clean, go ahead and recycle it, if it's greasy or covered in food please put it in the trash.

HOW DO I RECYCLE MY PLASTIC BAGS?
New plastic bag recycling bins are being placed in some of the residential buildings around campus - soon they will be in all of the residential buildings. The machines that sort out of single stream recycling are unable to successfully separate out the plastic bags - that is why they can't go in the regular bins. But after you dump your recyclables be sure to put any plastic bags in the plastic bag bin and when they are full the bins will be shipped out to a supplier who will correctly recycle them.

DO CANS AND BOTTLES NEED TO BE RINSED OUT BEFORE BEING RECYCLED?
Yes - cans, bottles, shampoo containers, yogurt cups etc. should be rinsed or emptied thoroughly before being placed in a recycling bin. This is extremely important because one full soda can could leak onto all the other recyclables and deem the whole batch useless. Recyclables don't have to be spotless, its just important that they aren't going to leak everywhere.
If you're recycling on the go and rinsing your cans isn't an option - no worries just try to dump liquids if you can!

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT NUMBERS IN THE RECYCLING SIGN ON MY PLASTICS?
#1 PET (POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE)

This type of plastic is found in: soft drink, water and beer bottles, peanut butter containers, salad dressings, microwavable food trays, etc. It is most common because it is inexpensive and lightweight. There is little risk of leakage from the breakdown of products.

Recycled into: Polar fleece, fiber, tote bags, furniture, new containers, carpet
#2 HDPE (HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE)
This type of plastic is found in: milk jugs, bleach and detergent bottles, occasionally trash and shopping bags, cereal box liners. There is low risk of leakage and is a very versatile plastic; it can be recycled into many goods.
Recycled into: Laundry detergent bottles, pens, drainage pipe, floor tile, doghouses, picnic tables, fencing, lumber
#3 V (VINYL) OR PVC
This plastic can be found in: wire jacketing, medical equipment, clear food packaging, piping, shampoo bottles. This plastic is tough and is therefore commonly used in piping, siding and similar applications. PVC contains chlorine which means that its manufacture can release highly dangerous dioxins. Burning PVC releases toxins and if you must cook with it, do not let the plastic touch the food!
Recycled into: Desks, paneling, mudflaps, roadway gutters, speed bumps
#4 LDPE (LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE)
This plastic can be found in: squeezable bottles, bread, dry cleaning and frozen food bags, clothing, furniture and carpeting. This plastic is found widespread because it is a flexible plastic with many applications
Recycled into: Compost bins, shipping envelopes, landscaping tiles, trash can liners and cans, floor tile
#5 PP (POLYPROPYLENE)
This plastic is found in: yogurt containers, syrup bottles, ketchup bottles, medicine bottles, straws, bottle caps. Because of its high melting point it is often used for containers that deal with hotter liquids.
Recycled into: Signal lights, battery cables, brooms, brushes, auto battery cases, ice scrapers, bicycle racks, rakes, bins, pallets, trays, landscape borders
#6 PS (POLYSTYRENE)
This can be found in: disposable cups and plates, meat trays, egg cartons, Tylenol and aspirin bottles, clear CD cases, take-out containers. This is the plastic of which Styrofoam is made out of - it also makes many other foam or rigid products. There is some evidence that suggests that #6 plastic leaches potential toxins into foods. It is difficult to recycle.
Recycled into: Egg cartons, rules, foam packaging, insulation
#7 MISCELLANEOUS
These plastics can be found in: three- and five-gallon water bottles, "bullet proof" material, sunglasses, DVDs, iPods and computer cases, signs and displays, certain food containers and nylon. This category contains all different types of plastic resins that cannot be categorized under any of the other numbers. Some are even made of plants and are compostable. The hard plastic that has caused a stir as of lately is known as "polycarbonate" and is found in hard plastics. It has shown to leach some potential hormone disruptor.
Recycled into: Plastic lumber, custom-made products

HOW CAN I PUT AN END TO ALL OF MY UNWANTED JUNK MAIL?
To start - be smart about where you give your address and email address to. A lot of websites offering freebies are spam and will sell your mailing address out to other companies for money - don't give it to them! If it's too late and you're already getting tons of unwanted mail, there are a number of ways to "opt-out." Visit our Reduce, Reuse, Recycle page for some quick links that can help combat the never-ending stream of unsolicited mail!
some helpful links to removing your home address fromjunk mail: www.redplum.com and www.dmachoice.org.

HOW CAN I GET A RECYCLING BIN?
If you work in the corporate office, your cubicle should be provided with one small ("desk-side") recycling bin. Should your office or cubicle be missing a recycling bin please contact Shelly.Kinckiner@cementation.us to request one for your office.

WHY SHOULD I RECYCLE IF OUR TRASH IS BEING USED TO GENERATE ENERGY?
Despite the benefits of the waste-to-energy process, recycling is still found to have far greater net energy savings than waste-to-energy processes. Research shows that taken together, the manufacture of products from recycled materials plus the processes of recycling, use considerably less energy than the manufacture of new products from virgin sources, plus the incineration of those products in a waste-to-energy facility.
The energy savings are due mostly to the substantial reduction in energy use associated with manufacturing products from recycled materials, relative to manufacturing products from virgin materials.

http://www.bentley.edu/offices/sustainability/faq