At-Home Recycling Tips

As chairman and CEO of the Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based company New Day Aluminum LLC, David D'Addario has over 30 years of experience in the metals industry. Since 1984, David D’Addario has led and reformed multiple aluminum recycling efforts. There are many ways you can recycle diverse materials at home with minimal financial or time investment.

Different cities have different recycling guidelines. Even so, there are ways you can maximize the amount of usable recyclable materials you put in your residential recycling bin. First, check your city’s website for its guidelines because each location has different drop-off locations for different materials, and they collaborate with third-party recycling companies to offer the service.

One important rule is that the recyclable material must be clean so it can be recycled properly. Clean containers until they are clean enough to be used again. If a portion of a container is clean, but the rest cannot be cleaned, like a greasy pizza box, place only the clean part in your curbside recycling bin.

Multiple factors can render an otherwise-eligible batch of recyclables unfit for a processing facility. One is the presence of one-use plastic bags, like grocery or sandwich bags, which can jam machinery. Another problem is if the material is too small, which can cause the same problem. Find the proper drop-off site for single-use bags, and don’t recycle anything smaller than a credit card.