Wishful Recycling

It would be nice if every item we owned was recyclable, but sadly that is not the case. That leads us to the topic of “wishful recycling” or “wishcycling”–– items that technically are ‘recyclable’ but are too small or don’t fit into the category of items we can accept and sort. It is very important to know what these items are. 

A general rule of thumb to follow when deciding if an item is “wishful” is to see if it is smaller than the size of an index card. That means even if these items are recyclable in theory, they should be left out of your cart. Such items include:

• Bottle caps not attached to their bottles. Even though glass and plastic bottles are accepted, the caps cannot be recycled separately. Keep them attached.
• Soda can tabs (Even though aluminium and tin cans are recyclable, make sure the tabs are still attached before going into the cart.)
• Small pieces of paper (Shredded paper can be put in a paper bag – without handles – and place in your cart.)
• Small items like pens, batteries, and lighters
• Medicine bottle caps (Keep them attached to the bottle before placing them in your cart.)
• Styrofoam and “popcorn” foam packaging

Items such as these can fall through the sorting machinery, contaminate other recyclables, and damage the equipment. Being a smart recycler means focusing on quality over quantity. When in doubt, leave it out.