The national recycling rate at this time is only 32.1%! That low percentage is the reason we need to start focusing on recycling our trash! Although this process can be some added time to your clean-up, it saves energy and water, lowers pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, improves air quality, preserves landfill space, and conserves natural resources. Recycling is also cleaner and more efficient than mining, refining, and processing new items from raw resources. Why get more when we have a perfectly good source to reuse?

Let's talk about sorting! These are the items you can recycle: 

Paper Goods

• Paper & Cardboard
• Cereal/snack boxes
• Phonebooks, magazines, and mail
• Office paper, newspaper
• Cardboard

Plastic

• Plastic bottles
• Containers from the kitchen

Metals

• Tin
• Aluminum
• Steels cans

Glass

• Food containers
• Jars
• Soft drink bottles
• Beer bottles
• Wine or liquor bottles

These are the items you cannot recycle:

Plastic

• Plastic Shopping bags
• Plastic stretch wrap
• Plastic utensils

Polystyrene Foam Cups or Containers

• Egg cartons
• Take out containers
• Drinking cups

Used Food Containers

• Food soiled containers
• Soiled paper products
• Fast-food packaging

Also, please note you cannot recycle broken or sharp glass. If you find you have broken glass items to throw away, place everything into a double-lined bag to ensure the safety of handling a dangerous object. 

As you go through your home to collect different items to be thrown away, you'll notice a lot of those items are on this list! Make sure to double-check what can be separated so our company can ensure the removal of recyclable items and make sure they get disposed of in the most environmentally safe way.

What happens to electronics? Can they be recycled?

Electronics can and should be recycled. A little-known fact is there is no federal law that prohibits the sending of old electronics overseas. The makeup of many electronics, with different battery types or metals means that most electronic components possess toxic elements, including lead, beryllium, polyvinyl chloride, and mercury. All these materials are extremely toxic to the environment and humans. 

Make sure when you are ready to recycle your electronics that you have cleared all of your personal information from the device. Pop up dumpster bag does take small electronics and flat-screen TVs. If you find that you would like to personally deal with your electronic waste - we get it!

Plenty of nonprofit organizations and local communities offer options to help you recycle old electronics. Try a google search to see where an electronic recycling facility or non-profit is located near you.

When electronics are recycled that means items such as cell phone batteries can be used to make new smartphones and batteries, while zinc and aluminum from laptops and tablets can be used for metal plates or jewelry.

**Don’t throw nickel-cadmium batteries in the garbage! They’re made from poisonous materials that can harm the environment—and they also need to be recycled.