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New Recyclables! 

2/16/2017

31 Comments

 


by Cassandra Hemenway

Did you know that most recycled items in central Vermont end up at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), in Williston, VT? The rules about what we can recycle in central Vermont comes from state mandate (the Statewide Six) or from what can be processesed at the MRF (pronounced "Murph").
​
Some recycling rules that seem odd at first (nothing smaller than 2" x 2" or larger than 2' x 2' can go in your recycling bin) make sense when you understand what happens to the MRF machinery or MRF staff who can get hurt by flying bottle caps. 

For years certain items that seemed recyclable (think Pizza boxes) were not allowed in the bin based on recycling markets and the processing capabilities at the MRF. Recently, a few things have changed in Williston, which means more stuff that we in central Vermont can put in our bins! 

The folks at the Chittenden Solid Waste District, who run the MRF, recently added some new items to the YES list for recyclables – and clarifyed some of the NO-NOs. 

Here’s the scoop on the new recyclables:

YES - these can now go in your recycling bin if you have single-sort recycling:
- Fridge/frozen food boxes are now accepted! That includes frozen dinners, frozen veggies, butter boxes, etc.

EXCLUSIONS: No paper-based ice cream or beverage/soup containers allowed (milk cartons, juice boxes, aseptic containers, etc.). The markets that buy our material don’t want them due to the inevitable residue. As with all recyclables, no food is allowed.

Bakery boxes with or without plastic window are now accepted. Not recyclable if there’s any food residue, crumbs, etc.

Pizza boxes: We can now accept them for recycling with a moderate amount of grease – but absolutely no crumbs or stuck-on food.

Thermal cash register receipts: These are the receipts you usually get at the gas pump and most retailers and restaurants. They were once considered unrecyclable due to the chemicals used for thermal printing. That’s no longer an issue.

EXCLUSIONS: As with all recyclables, the paper must be at least 2 inches long and wide. Unused register paper of any kind that is still on a roll is not acceptable for two reasons: 1) The center spindles are typically made from plastic or a densified, non-recyclable cardboard. 2) If the unused paper is more than 2 feet long, it can come unspooled and wrap itself around equipment, causing tangling issues similar to filmy plastics, like grocery bags.

Paper ream wrap: When you buy a ream of printer paper, it comes wrapped in either paper or plastic. Paper wrap was once considered unrecyclable due to moisture-resistant treatment used to protect the paper inside. That is now not an issue. Copier paper wrap made of plastic is still NOT recyclable.

Jar lids: They’re now recyclable in the blue bin! They must be separated from the containers they come on. The reason we couldn’t recycle them before was that there are typically other materials on the underside to help make a tight seal. This is no longer an issue.

Foil tops on yogurt/drink containers: The reason that there’s a question at all is that they are bonded with a thin layer of plastic for strength. As long as they are collected as part of a ball of foil at least 2 inches in diameter, these can be recycled in your bin. Otherwise, they act like paper in our sorting stream and are often erroneously mixed in with that stream.

And... a few NO-No's - continue to keep these items OUT of your recycling bin:

Bottle caps: Leave ‘em on or take ‘em off? Take ‘em off and save them for the CVSWMD Additional Recyclables Collection Center. Caps on bottles are no-no’s because:      
- Bottles sealed with lids require more pressure from the bailer to crush into a bale, which wears out machinery sooner.
- People tend to toss bottles that still contain fluid into the recycling bin when they cap the bottle. Fluids are a huuuge recycling no-no! Bottles need to be entirely empty of liquid (rinsed is even better!) before going in the bin.
- Plastic caps don’t meet the 2-inch size minimum. 
- Metal caps are recyclable at the ARCC, NOT in the recycle bin. Plastic (and metal) lids larger than the 2-inch minimum can be recycled in the bin only if they are separated from the containers they came on.

Black Rigid Plastic: Here's what the folks at CSWD say about black plastic: 
"The global commodities market – where we sell the recyclables we collect – isn’t buying black plastic. In recent years the MRF has had trouble selling bales containing black plastic at a high enough price to cover our processing costs. At times we couldn’t even give them away. And because black plastic makes up a tiny fraction (0.06%) of the recycling stream, we decided to focus on maximizing the value of the other 99.94% of recyclables that come through our door. For these reasons, we no longer accept black plastic for recycling. Please reuse black plastic containers, or place them in the trash."

For the more information about why black plastic is no longer accepted in recycling bin, read more here.  

Still have questions? Email us or call 802-229-9383 x102. CVSWMD staff are happy to give presentations about recycling, composting, reducing waste, or tips for reuse. Call to schedule your presentation today.

Want to share this post with friends or co-workers? Click here to download a pdf version of the post. 

New recyclables

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Most recyclables in central Vermont get sorted at the MRF
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YES! Pizza boxes are now recyclable, as long as there isn't stuck-on food.
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YES! Frozen food and refrigerator boxes (like butter boxes or TV dinner boxes) can now be recycled!
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YES! Bakery boxes, windows and all, are now recyclable - just shake out the crumbs!
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YES! Thermal receipts can now be recycled as long as they are bigger than 2" x 2".
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YES! Yogurt containe foil tops can now be recycled: rinse, dry, ball up with aluminum foil and toss in the recycling bin.
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CSWD's own Clare Innes stands amid bales of recyclables ready for market!

No-No's

31 Comments
Jennifer Zollner
2/22/2017 08:51:45 am

And what about orange juice cartons? - how recyclable are they today? Thanks, Cassandra.

Reply
Cassandra link
2/24/2017 10:44:13 am

Such a great question. The short answer is, orange juice cartons ("gable tops") are not recyclable in Vermont. The long answer is, they ARE recyclable in other parts of the country, such as Massachusetts and other regions where there is a larger population base. The MRF in Vermont is not equiped to manager gable top cartons in part because of the drink residue. So, either smuggle them to a state that does recycle them, or put them in the trash.

Reply
Teija Huttunen-Green
2/22/2017 09:55:59 am

Would you be able to provide a printable version of this, so that I can post it for my coworkers in the office? Thanks!

Reply
Cassandra link
2/24/2017 10:49:21 am

Thanks for asking about this Teija. I updated the post to include a link to a pdf version of the post, so other people can do exactly what you've described.

Here's a link to the post, or see the last sentence above for the link: http://www.cvswmd.org/uploads/6/1/2/6/6126179/new_recyclables_2017.pdf

Reply
Stephen
2/27/2017 05:35:52 am

I'm thinking this means we can recycle the soda/beer boxes?

Reply
Cassandra Hemenway link
3/2/2017 07:53:03 am

Hi Stephen, yes, you are absolutely right, you can recycle soda and beer boxes. I'm sorry it took me a while to respond; I was researching the question with the MRF.

Reply
Cassandra Hemenway
4/29/2019 10:20:51 am

Here you go: http://www.cvswmd.org/uploads/6/1/2/6/6126179/new_recyclables_2017.pdf

Reply
Laurie Smith
5/11/2017 08:02:50 am

Can you provide a clean printable version of this document so I can post it at my workplace?

Reply
Mike
6/12/2018 11:53:13 am

I believe bottle caps are now allowed, per my contact Ethan from CSWD.

Reply
Mike
6/12/2018 11:56:40 am

They are allowed when connected to a clean, empty bottle**

Reply
jennifer
4/28/2019 07:19:04 am

I'm confused about bottle caps. The main recyclables page that has the link to THIS details page says we can leave plastic caps on bottles. This page says not to do that. Which is correct?

Reply
Cassandra Hemenway link
4/29/2019 10:22:54 am

Hi Jennifer - You now CAN leave plastic caps on platsic bottles. WE don't recommend leaving caps on glass jars, however.
CVSWMD also runs our Additional Recyclables Collection Center, and one of the 40-odd items we take at the ARCC is bottle caps. So have two choices in central Vermont:
1. Add bottle caps onto clean, empty plastic bottles for recycling
2. save bottle caps along with the other 40-odd items we accept and bring to the ARCC.
Here's more info about the ARCC: http://www.cvswmd.org/arcc.html

Lynne Gately
11/11/2018 06:17:04 pm

Are Tetra Pak containers recyclable? (As in Black Box wine)

Reply
Michael Trupin
2/12/2019 09:03:53 am

My understanding is that Tetra Pak, a composite with both paper and plastic layers, is not recyclable in VT. It is recyclable in some other states.

Reply
Cassandra Hemenway link
4/29/2019 10:24:06 am

Michael - that is correct. Tetra Pac cannot be recycled in Vermont, but many other regions do offer Tetra Pac recycling. Many factors contribute to what is/is not recyclable, including volume of materials, distance to haul to a facility that can recycle them, etc.

Gillian Babcock link
2/26/2019 05:13:04 pm

We have a lot of cardboard boxes at home and most of them are pizza boxes because of the parties that we had. It was explained here that pizza boxes can be sent to be recycled. Furthermore, it's recommended to go to trusted businesses when considering cardboard recycling.

Reply
JENNIFER
4/28/2019 08:21:16 am

I think they specify there shouldn't be too much food on the pizza box.

Reply
Cassandra Hemenway link
4/29/2019 10:29:27 am

HI Gillian, Yes, you are correct, pizza boxes can be recycled (that's fairly new, starting in 2017) - but make rsure, as Jennifer pointed out, below, they don't have food residue. A greasy pizza box is ok within limits, but if it has hunks of cheese, etc, don't recycle it. It's a common-sense thing. I'm not sure what you mean by "go to trusted businesses when considering cardboard recycling." Can you elaborate?

Reply
Steve
4/4/2019 02:39:45 pm

Wondering about two related products: envelpopes with plastic window and paper corn chip bags with the clear plastic liners.

Reply
Michael Trupin
4/28/2019 07:28:25 am

I understand that plastic windows in envelopes are okay, but those corn chip bags have a lot more plastic - and probably need to be trashed.

Reply
Cassandra Hemenway link
4/29/2019 10:25:50 am

Hi Steve, envelopes with plastic windows are OK to go in your recycling bin as is. The paper recycling process filters out the plastic windows.
However, corn chip bags iwth clear plastic liners are NOT recyclable, unless you remove the clear-plastic liner, and the outer bag is 100% paper. I realize it feels inconsistent - but that's the case.

Reply
jennifer
4/28/2019 08:23:48 am

Just FYI I tried to post to this blog from Mac Safari and got one of those visual tests asking me to ID items in Pictures. On my computer the window did not show a submit button for this process. On Chrome I didn't get the picture test.

Reply
Cassandra Hemenway link
4/29/2019 10:26:30 am

Hi Jennifer - not sure why Safari had a harder time than Chroms with the blog - sorry you had a glitch! I'll look into why that happened.

Reply
Vicky
9/14/2019 12:52:54 pm

Is the paper backing on the sticky strip of sanitary products recyclable. It is shiny but that could be made with clay rather than plastic.

Reply
Nancy Ellen
3/1/2020 11:20:58 am

My understanding is that sticker backing paper (like what you describe) -- as well as paper/plastic stickers -- is not recyclable.

Reply
Cassandra Hemenway link
3/2/2020 07:33:03 am

Sticker backing is not recyclable, neither from regular stickers, nor sanitary napkins. It is actually a plastic, and goes to the trash.

Elly Wood link
1/7/2020 10:35:22 am

We have paper ream wrap that appear to be paper (on the outside) but a plastic-y film on the inside. Is this able to be recycled with CVSWMD?

Reply
Cassandra Hemenway link
3/2/2020 07:34:53 am

Hi Elly - I would have to see the paper to know. Just a heads up, too, that CVSWMD does not take regular "blue bin" recyclables. Those would go to any hauler in our area, and then they get hauled directly to the Chiten County Solid Waste District Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) where they get sorted, baled, and marketed. If you are thinking of the ARCC (Additional Recycalbes Collection Center), no, we do not take ream paper there. Always check our website for a complete list of what you can bring to the ARCC, here: http://www.cvswmd.org/arcc.html

Reply
Laura Thibodeau
3/11/2020 10:13:04 pm

I live in canaan vt and the only plastic they now recycle is only half of number 1 I'm looking to reach out to vt recycling centers trying to find buyer for more plastic to help to keep things green. Please email if you can help

Reply
Cassandra Hemenway link
3/13/2020 08:15:17 am

Hi Laura - I'm not entirely sure what you are seeking for information - but I can tell you that we don't buy recyclables. Have you spoken to anyone at the Northeast Kingdom Solid Waste Management District? Their phone number is (802) 626-3532. Or go to: http://www.nekwmd.org/index.html

Vermont state law requires all recyclers accept #1s and #2s. See more information about mandated recycling here: https://dec.vermont.gov/waste-management/solid/universal-recycling

Reply
Andy Cervini
5/11/2020 11:02:07 am

I’m not sure about “padded” envelopes, ones that usually come in yellow or white colors, some with a plastic/vinyl - like exterior. With all the shipping going on, can you advise on these?

Thank you for all you do.
Andy in Barre

Reply



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    Author

    Cassandra Hemenway, CVSWMD Outreach Manager,  Theron Lay-Sleeper, Outreach Coordinator and Dora Chi, CVSWMD's Eco AmeriCorps service member all contribute to this blog.

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