RECYCLING 101 | what is recyclable and non recyclable

WHAT CAN WE RECYCLE?! The age old question that remains unanswered - but I did my best! Do you have any tips for recycling? Let us know and start supporting the zero waste business that believes in recycling as much as we do - Thrive Market »»» thrivemarket.com/shelbi
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Things that are NOT Recyclable (vid) - • 10 Things You Thought ...
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[@elfinartist4961]

This needs to be taught in every, every, every school. I will definitely show this to my students! Valuable information

[@jizzycreams6546]

Elfinartist YES PLZ DO YES soooo important

[@lilzflower]

⭐️I just want to emphasize that everything you recycle needs to be EMPTY, CLEAN, and DRY! If you don’t clean out your plastics, it could 1) degrade the material, making it lose value and ability to be recycled and/or 2) contaminate the rest of the recycling!

[@greeleyestateslove]

Not really....glass and plastic doesn't need to be perfect. Plastic goes through a wet and caustic wash, not sure on glass but I looked it up about if you leave the lime wedge in the glass bottle and have seen that it's fine

[@aletheabodine4819]

@@greeleyestateslove decant the beer ... it tastes better that way. ;)

[@stephaletty7548]

I never thought one wrong piece of plastic or grease on the pizza box could upset the entire batch! I need to listen to my husband and make sure I RIP the plastic window out of the envelopes before putting them in the recycle!

[@faeriesmak]

Check your recycling rules for your area, though. We are allowed to leave plastic windows in.

[@mprub4]

It’s not this way for every city. My city made an announcement that the plastic windows can be left in

[@msdanascully11]

It is different from Country to Country, town to town .... We all need to check what is done in our area ...

[@kelleyrice4801]

Anti-haul idea: those “smoothies” you can buy in bottles... Just make your own smoothie?

[@kelleyrice4801]

Buy the goods you want from a local produce stand or farmers market (so you know exactly what’s being put in and how it was produced) and blend at home to make it personalized & exactly how you want it to taste, then use a stainless steel straw for extra pleasing aesthetics :)

[@strangekat2840]

@@kelleyrice4801 If you have stuff like farmers markets or local produce stands.

[@kelleyrice4801]

Strange Kat most cities do, mines small and not very many options but if I drive to the next city there’s many more options. And if there’s absolutely no options, we can all try our best to buy organic produce at the grocery store.

[@strangekat2840]

@@kelleyrice4801 I live in a small town in rural Yorkshire. There's one supermarket. Organic food is much more expensive, package free isn't an option. Plastic free isn't an option either. It's basically impossible.

[@kelleyrice4801]

Strange Kat im sorry :( I hope more options open up around your area, but shout out to you for recognizing it and wanting to do better

[@jholi01]

This is such a great video for earth month. So many people do not understand recycling. Cleaning out containers, removing labels and separating complex items that are a mixture of partial plastic, partial metal, partial paper is also very important to note. A lot of people do not understand that this needs to be done by them if hey want the item to actually be recycled.

[@KristenLeo]

WOW that video of the truck dumping plastic bottles will haunt my dreams.. Amazing video once again Shelbi!!!

[@fitbeads8162]

Qtsgshx

[@Unaestheticly_Toney]

My city you just compost pizza boxes so the grease isn't a problem, which is nice!

[@returnofthereasoner3200]

They say to not put broken glass in the recycling bin, but when they dump all the recyclables out of the truck don't some of the glass bottles end up getting broken?

[@maddieroxx4eva]

I think (at least where I live) they don't want you recycling broken glass so the workers who have to handle the recycling don't accidentally hurt themselves.

[@ChrisAllenJohnson]

Our mixed recycling just meant no broken mirrors, windows, and other glass like pint glasses etc. All glass isn’t created equal and our food product glass has a lower melting point. If you mix in a better quality glass like a window, it gums up the glass product that they are intending to melt down.

[@samanthaanngraham3130]

I had the same question. when I big trucks come by and grab and dump our single stream bin into the back of the truck, I know the glass I put in the bin breaks. if what Shelby says it's true, prolly every load of recycling would be deemed a loss😟

[@alissahartlaub4445]

I had the same question! Haha. Must be a good one!

[@adelest9500]

I wonder too, in my country it is literally written on recycling bins that you can put broken glass in it.

[@reneerobinson6929]

Thank you for doing this video Shelby!! I'm a big recycler and always have been. For many years we did not have single-stream recycling. We had to separate metal, glass and plastic from our paper recycling. Over the past several years it has changed to single-stream recycling. I didn't know that that's what it was called until this video so I'm glad I learned something new. Now I have to get really diligent on not putting in anything that might contaminate my batch. I know that in the past I probably have put some Plastics into recycling that I shouldn't have because it feels awful to throw it in the trash. So now I will get the most recent updated info on what Plastics can and can't be recycled in my city. So, thanks again for doing this video and reminding me to improve my recycling.

[@mrsderosa105]

Thank you for taking your time and organize all this info for people. Recycling is pretty confusing at times, especially for the elderly who aren’t used to it. You’re helping a lot your community and the world 🌍🌱

[@rachelc3213]

Thank you for emphasizing the different materials, different facilities will accept. A conversation I had the other day with a fellow recycler was about the bottle caps. I had read an article stating that we can leave the caps on, but where I recycle now, we have to remove the caps. So yes always check with your facility to make sure what you're trying to recycle is actually being recycled!

[@faeriesmak]

Rachel Cannon we have to remove the caps and the caps cannot be put into the recyclables at all.

[@hannahjames3398]

This is definitely helpful! Bea Johnson does make a good point though that going zero waste isn’t about recycling more, it’s about recycling less. I recycle most of my stuff but try to reuse things more too. But I always try to find an alternative for things I’m getting rid of in life.

[@lzebell5082]

In Madison Wisconsin you can recycle broken glass - check out your local recycler’s website to see what is and is not recyclable in your area. My recycler has a “recyclopedia” with all that info.

[@faeriesmak]

L Zebell Hello! I am from WI too!

[@samanthahendrickx3606]

I needed this video. Thanks so much!!! I've been trying to reduce my waste in general but I always wonder about different materials!

[@Revycake]

Sort of sad to see fewer people watching this when its SO crucial to know what youre saying. And its even cut to the very shortest essence and put so understandably. I appreciate it, i hope people will learn from you

[@madaradevena6145]

Early!! I alsowant to try to go zero waste for the summer so this is right in time. :)

[@ayaholter]

This is such a helpful video, I didn't even know about the different types of plastic. Thank you for this video 😊

[@respirafacile]

I really really needed this video 😩 thank you so much, Shelbi!!

[@cottagecorecat]

This is probably a really dumb question, but do you have to take the stickers off glass and plastic before you recycle it ?

[@jaxtoncrockett4642]

Lauren O'Neill yes

[@meelamiela]

Lauren O'Neill for glass i soak in hot dishwater, labels should already begin to fall off. Scrub off the rest. Then I use goo gone to get rid of glue residue!

[@professorthread]

I've lived in places that said you don't and some that say you do. I would check with your local recycling center.

[@mariachristina97]

Definitely check locally!

[@greeleyestateslove]

No, small stickers are fine on glass/RIGID plastic. The thing about it is that the stickers reduce the ability of the optical sorters to tell what the material beneath is..so coverage is also important. Remove what you can without wasting water needlessly. If it's a shrink wrap (like on kefir and creamer bottles) definitely cut off and remove! Flexible bags such as grocery bags should not have stickers on them -remove if you see them

[@lindseyheringer2641]

I love the work you do. This video is filled with so much good info.

[@vivianloney8826]

I love where I live, the recycling facility here accepts plastics #1-7! Even shopping bags!

[@chocolatechick729]

Girl thank you so much for this info. I love your content .

[@poopyrose8180]

Thank you for making this video!! I actually got to look into my local recycling system and I'm thinking of volunteering when Covid calms down!!

[@edentownsend9641]

Short and to the point! Thank you for your time!

[@madalynnf22]

This video is so helpful to make some changes in my recycling life 💕

[@nicoleisheretolearn]

This was a really informative, but simple/straightforward video! Thanks so much for sharing :))

[@4000mack]

Me and my partner's minds are blown. Can't believe how much we been messing up our recycling batch. THANK YOU!!

[@AbdulAziz4CaNaDa]

Thank you so much for the excellent information 😇

[@LivingtheDreamtv]

Awesome! Thank you for demystifying recycling.

[@palynaike]

As always, thank you so much for this video, Shelbi! I’m shocked to see how incredibly different the recycling process in the US is, compared to where I live now. In Spain and Germany you have different bins for the recyclable materials (plastic, paper, glass, compost, clothes and sometimes even different types of glass colors and another one for used oil), and usually plastic containers tell you if they can be recycled. I’d love to know if it differs from region to region, although I believe it’s not so... Anyway, thanks for the content, as usual! :3

[@StrollingThroughLife]

Yes!!! This is a great video! I’m always telling my fam that you have to look at the number (1,2,5,etc). 👍

[@tay2520]

Thanks so much for the new info 💛

[@VioletFS]

Wow! I didn’t know most of this. Thank you for sharing this important information. I’ve Ben doing a lot wrong!

[@shanehand]

Thank for the information, that helps!

[@nessforbes7400]

I’m so glad I found this video. I’ve been sharing it with everyone I know!!!

[@Grinch7105]

We have a recology recycling truck service for our school at my work. And it’s so great because pre-k students make so much waste!

[@justsomeone64]

I know those video is old, but it showed up on my recommended. And I love it 😅👍

[@sannmarie]

Loved this video, more educational videos like this would be awesome!

[@linda5628]

I learned a lot from this video, thank you!

[@maddieroxx4eva]

I just looked at the recycling my city does take and I'm surprised to see they take all numbers of plastic. I never knew those numbers meant something before! Thank you for enlightening me. I think its really important if you want to recycle right to just check your city's guidelines and see what they accept and what they don't.

[@thatactivechic]

I’m just getting back in to recycling just for some extra cash and to be relational about naturally a lot of me and my family drink outta plastic, use cardboard boxes for TV dinners etc. Glass beers, cans of organic sodas etc. ♻️

[@RhymingMime]

How do you feel about industrially compostable stuff? I feel like so many folks dont have the means to send it along to facilities.

[@micheleh4639]

They recently drastically changed our recycling policy in my town. Which has resulted in many people stop recycling unfortunately. If they see a plastic bottle cap, they won't pick up any of the recycling. You even has to remove the plastic brand name on a plastic bottle (like if you have a bottle of soda you would need to remove the wrapper from the bottle)

[@lilzflower]

That is probably because China, and other countries that are taking our recycling, have began to institute a zero tolerance policy for contamination. China is the most strict, only accepting recycling with less than 0.5% contamination. In the US, we have a contamination rate over 30%. Most places in the US don’t have local infrastructure, or if they do, they can’t find buyers that will buy the contaminated loads. A little bit of contamination means a lot of money for the people that have to sort it out!

[@micheleh4639]

@@lilzflower That is a good point.

[@zoeo1920]

you look stunning in that stripey shirt. thank you for making education on these topics so accessible.

[@squishyplayz2603]

Thanks for this great video I'm using thing to recycle better at home and progect

[@vickyjansen3544]

I live in a apartment complex and I get frustrated when people put the wrong thing into the recycling bin. Even the recyclers will dump the container and the glass is broken all over. Just had to let that off my chest and I know .....me included we all not perfect. Thanks for having your show.

[@factitiously]

I would love if you could do a recycling 101 video for newbies. there are so many questions like can you recycle paper towels what about envelopes with plastic windows in them, what about stickers on food jars, do I have to clean items before recycling.

[@hakimahadilah5253]

The information really useful for me because I just start to learn how to recycle from home huhu 😍

[@ctv352]

Thank you for helping me with my homework

[@ffs6969f4u]

Hi there! I just saw you on the latest episode of the Minimalists. I've recently discovered minimalism and zero-waste lifestyel and I'm ALL ABOUT IT! How can anyone not want to be a part of this? Your videos are great and I can't want to go through other ones

[@Tiger21us]

Thank you for making this video!

[@chelseadeeg4918]

So much good information in this video!

[@thriftmonster1248]

Great video- get it so much more now!

[@rubyhaskell1325]

Very informative video!

[@gmt5664]

Super helpful.thanx

[@palomanyoka1343]

No.6 plastic can be used to make keychains and other little dyi presents if you have any it can be used as that shrink plastic stuff ❤

[@julial.r.5383]

Thank you for such an informative and well made video. This is a very important but often confusing subject. I'm curious also about the aluminium cans and aluminium products, is the recycling process easier than plastic recycling?

[@MsTziva]

I wanted to ask something about recycling that I don't hear often about. I live in Greece and we have regular garbage bins, recycling bins for tin-paper-plastic, bins for glass and recently we got those red bins for clothes- shoes- bags- fabrics. So the content of the red bins goes either on charity, is sold as second hand clothing or is used for other purposes such as insulation material , car seat filling etc. It is a new idea ( at least here 😆 ) and I was wondering if it is something that also happens abroad, as I have never seen any video referring to clothe recycling. Of course it's better not to waste cloths , but I would really want to hear your opinion about it as you are an expert on recycling matters or ( even better) make a video about this topic . Thank you 💚 , I always love your content ❤❤

[@thefrugallife-withmercedes7718]

Most places in America don't offer fabric recycling through curbside pickup. I actually don't know of any. (Dosen't mean there aren't any) In Virginia where I live you have to donate fabric and shoes to a thrift store and they sort through everything and send it to the proper places. Or you can go to the town dump and they might have a bin you put used items in. However in most cases used clothing doesn't get recycled. They get sent to third world countries and then messes with local clothing industries.

[@ma.jbrony1754]

@@thefrugallife-withmercedes7718 Though, don't forget about Goodwill!! :DD

[@camillacarrera4290]

Very helpful! Thank you!!

[@gundimytube]

Please make a separate video about Ecosia! I have seen you mention it in your other videos but I really feel it deserves a mini-video of it's own!

[@Mauiohwowie]

I have a question! i live in apartments and we have a huge dumpster for recycling. When I dump my recycling bin into it, glass breaks. What do I do?

[@wendyhankin4289]

I contacted my local council about broken glass and was told that they do take it , because basically the way it gets thrown around it will most likely get broken on the way to the facility. But they were happy when I said that I do label a box with broken glass inside.

[@rachelvazquez50]

I am going to do a famliy home evening about this because of your show Shelbi!

[@catw6998]

Interesting video. I applaud the efforts of those that separate and the recycling facilities and places that turn the recyclables into useful products at the end. Forgot the group but the turnnout plastics and make park benches ❤️. My biggest gripe are the manufacturers that make the recycle sign numbers so darn small and hard to read, as in clear on clear. Sometimes even a magnifying glass won’t help ☹️.

[@Susielynne]

Thank you for your videos

[@lisahernandeznavariz9301]

I found the numbering of the plastic items to be interesting, and something that I learned about recycling was that you can not recycle pizza boxes because of the grease.

[@Jessica-spencer]

Recently discovered that some county’s have apps for recycling! They tell you exactly what things you can and can’t recycle. You can look them up on your local waste management website.

[@fern3960]

Can you please do a video on what to do with the caps and rings on plastic bottles... leave them on, take them off? Thanks for your hard work!

[@helen8625]

Thank you! very helpful :)

[@chloecoenen3233]

Great vid. What about stickers? That’s my main concern. I read stickers are not recyclable in turn making products non recyclable because it can take ages to get off the gunk. Thoughts?

[@micheleh4639]

@Shelbizleee I have a question about glass recycling. You say you can't recycle a broken glass jar. But when my recycling is picked up it is put into a garbage truck that does the compacting thing. So isn't all the glass smashed by the time it gets to the recycling center? So does that mean we can't really recycle glass?

[@itsdwish]

thank you! wondering about the glass... if I put the glass container in my recycling is that also bad because it can break in transit? is this something to worry about?

[@kelliemcmahon6264]

I loved this video!

[@corissagehring9078]

Hi! I work for a recycling facility in PA. We had received a grant from KAB this year that teamed us up with Terracycle. I love the concept, other than sending in cigarette butts, I like the concept of sending in K-cups from the office. I consider you a reliable source, how can I get my boss to be more confident in the practices of Terracycle? Thank you!

[@jessicabrown4371]

Hi Shelby, what about places that are stopping accepting glass for recycling? My city is no longer accepting glass for recycling because it’s not profitable for the recycling companies. In this case do you think it’s better to buy in plastic that can be recycled?

[@barbarahenninger6642]

Very interesting! I'm ashamed of how bad I have been at recycling. But, nobody tells us how.

[@MrThuong3]

Agree. All kids need to be taught .

[@powerpuff4ever]

The recycling plant in my area is a real stickler and I saw during an externship that they _will throw away_ full ends of the line of recyclables if there are items that weren’t prepped properly. I don’t know if every plant is quite that cutthroat but I know there isn’t a recycling plant that will wash your recycling for you. People really need to figure out where their recyclables go and learn how their local plant deals with them because there are a lot of recyclable materials going to land fills just because people are throwing out anything with a recycling label out without understanding that more may need to go into it

[@KTplease]

Solution for soiled pizza boxes, napkins, paper towels, Kleenex, etc: Start a compost pile in your yard or even in a bucket indoors! Worms eat it up just fine, and it stays out of the landfill. Bonus: Free compost!!

[@graceroby2410]

Very informative

[@babsinny]

I recycle a house of 8 . I can't get them vegan , but I can reclye for them. We try to avoid plastic . I grew up with an area that recycled. As I adultted it was less available. But now it's making a comeback.😁

[@nadminaim6]

Do you have any recommendations for sustainable plus size clothing brands or distributors? I'm shopping for bras, underwear, and orthopedic shoes, so if you have tips for shopping for those items, I'd love to watch a video about that. Thank you for your videos! They're very informative and thought provoking!

[@melg322]

For shampoo bottles that have a pump should I take off the pump for recycling?

[@phyliciajoykloes]

This was a great video.

[@lindsay2758]

I am from Spokane, Washington. We have single stream recycling here, but I did learn today that instead of actually recycling the glass that they receive, they use it to cover landfill each night. Apparently this is an alternative to avoid bringing rocks in from a quarry? I don’t know how to weigh the pros and cons of this. Obviously it is best to reduce and reuse rather than throw things right into the recycle, but is there a way to measure whether Spokane county is doing this to save money rather than reducing the negative effects that mining has on the environment?

[@biablackbutterfly]

Love the video! But I am just curious where can we pun plastic that can't be recycled or what are the organizations (that are dealing with this) doing with the plastic that they cannot use? That will be good to know. Thank you so much for the information in this video. Ps. your editing on this video is awesome. xoxo

[@thefrugallife-withmercedes7718]

In Virginia where I live the recycling program now will not take any glass or most plastic. They will only take plastic 1 and 2 or metal. They are encouraging everyone to continue recycle everything. And they will throw the unwanted stuff out for us. Not a good idea in my opinion. Then the good stuff could be thrown away with the bad. Also it will cost man hours to sort the extra materials. Not to mention the water wasted on rinsing items. Very informative video!

[@FlwrCats76]

What about empty cans of wet cat food? I always rinse them out so they are nice and clean on the inside, but it has the paper brand label around the outside of the metal. I wonder if that messes things up.

[@ffsteel111]

Nice work

[@patriciamcdonald6149]

Great video! Here's a little grumpiness; the comments on this video alone suggest that some recyclers are doing a better job than others. Perhaps with better legislation and more financial support recycling itself can be upgraded. Sometimes it seems that recycling itself is standing in it's own way. Lots of people have been putting the recycling effort in for years and their effort is being rendered ineffective. Lots more work to do at the source as well as the end of production. Again great and informative video 🍊

[@stephaniehuff5916]

Can you make a video about composting if you haven't already?

[@Lilapurple111]

Thanks for this informative video? So what do we do with the plastic number 5 then? Do I bring it to the recycling place ?

[@lilzflower]

Most of the time you have to throw it away. Check your city or recycling company’s website though to be sure! :)

[@elizabethmatchefts8509]

My recycling company won't take number 5, but the Wholefoods near me will. I collect it in a separate place and drop it off at wholefoods when I have enough.

[@Lilapurple111]

Thanks guys for the answer. I’ll check out my Whole Foods

[@sandibroad4099]

How does glass not break when it is dumped in to the truck or compressed in the truck? 💖

[@cutepoiisonn]

we are told that if you do have clean broken glass, you are supposed to put it in a box or bag and tape shut and label broken glass! so they know and then it can still be recycled.

[@gypsy.baker.adventures]

This information was super helpful! I'd like even more in depth info vids. Like a this= recyclable / that= not recyclable.... Here's a solution

[@nishakhan2721]

OMG all this time i was doing it totally wrong. I wish waste management can educate people with printouts or something that people would know how to recycle.

[@sheila_rabant]

More hair videos please! When have you cut it last? I have a bad habit of chopping mine out of boredom. Love the messy buns, how do you keep it up like that with no products? That can't be just a rubber band ♻️🌎

[@lindseyheringer2641]

I take plastic film packaging, plastic bags and other thin plastics to my local Kroger as you stated about drop odd. Do you have any more info on what plastics are accepted at stores like that.

[@lindseyheringer2641]

Also what about stickers and packing tape? Does all of that need to be removed from cardboard or plastic before sending it to recycling?

[@MsKareboo]

Going zero waste o zero garbage it’s a mist in live, everyone should try it

[@KTplease]

Keep in mind that the recycling process for metal cans burns off the resin linings and paper labels easily and thus is a VERY economic way to reduce waste as a society.

[@ma.jbrony1754]

I'm confused as to what you mean. Could you reword that? :o