A Loud "No" on Food, Foil, and Plastic
Before you throw kitchen items in your recycling container, be sure you know the guidelines on their "recycle-ability."
In our Boise household, we continue to debate what can go into the blue recycling bins. After listing 5 things we questioned this year, I called Allied Waste, which serves the Treasure Valley, to get the scoop.
- Ball of aluminum foil with lasagna cheese inside—Although aluminum foil is recyclable, any traces of food make it a big no-no in the blue bins.
- Rinsed milk cartons—No, because of the plastic coating.
- Used but "clean" paper plates—No, because of possible food contamination or plastic coating.
- Rinsed cardboard soup boxes—No, because of foil lining inside the boxes.
- Kids' craft projects of construction paper, glue and macaroni—No, because of food contamination.
It turns out that food contamination is a big problem for the good folks who do our recycling. It takes extra time to make sure everything is clean. Plastic and foil linings also make paper products unrecyclable.
We want the program to succeed, so let's familiarize ourselves with the guidelines and keep our wonderful blue bin program running smoothly.
Sherian Allen, Office Assistant
