How to properly recycle

Recycling can seem like a very easy and “common sense” task, yet it may not be as simple as it seems. Intricate waste management systems make it so there are a few gray areas, causing one to throw items out that may pose the slightest chance of being recycled based on preconceived notions, resulting in misuse of recyclable items.

Items that can be recycled are as follows: paper products, aluminum, glass, batteries, tires, metals, oil, and various electronics. As a generality, these are the products eligible for recycling, given the right conditions and drop-off locations. Many of these items, for example, cannot be put in your typical recycling bin but can be recycled if dropped off in designated areas. 

The items that can go in a school recycling bin are less certain, but some of them may have their own designated bins. Here are on-campus recyclable items: various paper products like cardboard, newspapers, magazines, books, gift wrap, and mail; aluminum products like non-crushed cans or foil; non-broken glass bottles; smaller bits of metal, like caps; lastly, plastic bottles and other plastic products, but never compostable or bio-based plastics. These products are the only ones allowed to be recycled on campus.

Other products will require you to drop off the items at a specialized facility, the closest being Multi-Metal Recycling and the Geneseo Transfer Station. These types of items must be dropped off because they pose a hazard to the general well-being of the individuals who handle them. They can be anything from scrap pieces of metal, electronics, lithium-based batteries, burnt-out light bulbs, or motor oil; to guarantee this validity, check with Earth911 before turning anything in. 

Another easily overlooked facet of recycling is the cleaning of the items designated to be recycled. To get the most out of recycling and ensure the items are usable by those treating them, the items must be washed and shaken out of most, if not all, leftover debris or residue. Both food and liquids are designated as nonrecyclable items, meaning any item that contains residual materials cannot be accepted, and is thrown out instead. This is an easy component to overlook, but the extra few moments of cleaning are worth it. Yes, it will take more work, but it will ensure that the majority of items recycled can be properly disposed of rather than filling up another landfill. 

Also worth noting is that plastic bags, in any form, are unable to be recycled: they cannot be taken, even if they are stray plastic bags, or bags containing recyclable items within it. This is because the material that composes the stereotypical plastic bag is prone to tearing and breaking, causing machine jams. Though that may sound like a mundane issue to an outsider, this effectively shuts down all production for an entire day, leaving many without steady employment.

Recycling is a major facet of Geneseo campus; as a school opting for more sustainable choices, this is a small habit that can make a major difference in the environmental integrity of our campus.