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What happens to mixed materials in recycling?

Live at Three

For example:
Sausages wrapper with paper sticker on,
Paper manual with metal staples
Envelopes with plastic window
Cooking oil bottles with metal rings near cap
Guinness cans with plastic widget inside
Milk cartons with glued on sticker

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Del.Monte

Live at Three wrote: »

For example:
Sausages wrapper with paper sticker on,
Paper manual with metal staples
Envelopes with plastic window
Cooking oil bottles with metal rings near cap
Guinness cans with plastic widget inside
Milk cartons with glued on sticker

God only knows - landfill, incineration, the whole waste collection process is a complete shambles.

Loafing Oaf

I've been wondering about this too. Probably a majority of things I put in my 'recycling' bin are probably 'mixed' in some way. In an ideal world, should I be cutting the plastic spouts out of juice cartons before I put them in the recycling?

chite

Then you'll contaminate the recycling if you put them in, unless they've been separated, or they have been rinsed clean and left dry on the side.

With the sausage wrapper, it has been contaminated by the food residue - the sticker doesn't matter. The milk carton (tetra pak) is not recyclable, despite the fact that it's deemed recyclable in Ireland - it's not, it's a composite material. It's not put into recycling in Scotland.

Guinness can + widget...just separate them. Same with the envelope + window. Just put the paper manual and oil bottle into recycling (the latter must be oil-free).

Another one to add is separate the plastic inserts in yoghurt/butter tubs and the plastic wrap on drink bottles like coke.

Live at Three

chite wrote: »

Then you'll contaminate the recycling if you put them in, unless they've been separated, or they have been rinsed clean and left dry on the side.

With the sausage wrapper, it has been contaminated by the food residue - the sticker doesn't matter. The milk carton (tetra pak) is not recyclable, despite the fact that it's deemed recyclable in Ireland - it's not, it's a composite material. It's not put into recycling in Scotland.

Guinness can + widget...just separate them. Same with the envelope + window. Just put the paper manual and oil bottle into recycling (the latter must be oil-free).

Another one to add is separate the plastic inserts in yoghurt/butter tubs and the plastic wrap on drink bottles like coke.

I do separate things, I actually take the time to cut out the plastic window from envelopes. Can't help feeling like a crazy person when I'm doing it though.

Are the plastic 2 litre milk cartons tetra park?. I doubt if people go to the trouble of scraping off or scrubbing off the glued on sticker.

Likewise with washing oil out of bottle, too much effort for most. Also this would consume extra heat energy (fossil fuel), drinking water, and wash up liquid (more packaging).

Metal ring around neck of oil bottle is almost impossible to remove. What happens this?

Removing widget from Guinness can would require cutting the can open. Too dangerous and time consuming for most people.

I have a feeling that lots of people are thinking they're doing good but actually not aware of what actually happens the stuff. Problem lies in the packaging itself, a lot of it seems to be difficult to recycle properly.

Re: plastic wrapping, it appears now that any soft plastic is not recycled anymore, it's just rigid stuff.

Foweva Awone

Been wondering this too. I don't break these things apart and amn't going to start. So (assuming they are clean and recyclable) should I just be putting e.g. envelopes with a window into the black bin? I don't pay for my bins so it doesn't matter to me from a cost perspective whether I put stuff in the black or the green bin.

chite

Live at Three wrote: »

I do separate things, I actually take the time to cut out the plastic window from envelopes. Can't help feeling like a crazy person when I'm doing it though.

Are the plastic 2 litre milk cartons tetra park?. I doubt if people go to the trouble of scraping off or scrubbing off the glued on sticker.

Likewise with washing oil out of bottle, too much effort for most. Also this would consume extra heat energy (fossil fuel), drinking water, and wash up liquid (more packaging).

Metal ring around neck of oil bottle is almost impossible to remove. What happens this?

Removing widget from Guinness can would require cutting the can open. Too dangerous and time consuming for most people.

I have a feeling that lots of people are thinking they're doing good but actually not aware of what actually happens the stuff. Problem lies in the packaging itself, a lot of it seems to be difficult to recycle properly. Bang on the money there, some is necessary to prolong freshness though so it's an awkward one but ultimately responsibility falls back on the supermarkets and manufacturers

Re: plastic wrapping, it appears now that any soft plastic is not recycled anymore, it's just rigid stuff.

I have gone through the crazy feeling, or more like wondering if my housemates thought I was ott sorting out the rubbish in the bins :P

The plastic milk bottle is not tetra pak. If you look at the bottom of it HDPE should be there, so can be recycled. Only the cardboard milk cartons are tetra pak.

Re the metal ring on bottles - I'd say leave it if you can't remove it, it wouldn't be a major issue and not lose sleep over. As for washing it, it doesn't involve much and the arguments against it hold no weight - you don't need much water, and you can use grey water after washing the dishes instead of using more water and washing liquid.

It's not time consuming to take a second to use a scissors to cut the can in half and pop the widget out, simples. Would make an exception for those with a physical impairment.

Yep, soft plastics (crisp bags, chocolate wrappers, cling film etc.) aren't recycled, only hard plastics as you said.

Worth a browse through: https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/specialreports/special-report-failure-of-irish-households-to-recycle-properly-is-a-massive-waste-of-time-829833.html
“I have a favourite saying. If you’re happy enough to empty your recycle bin on the kitchen floor, we’re happy enough to take it, but I don’t think there’s many people would do that,” says Des. People are recycling more, so they have got their heads around the concept of it. They just have to learn to do it better.”

Also there's a Waste Reduction Bill (although Minister Denis Naughten is trying to stop it) which would address the excessive single-use plastics issue in supermarkets if passed later this year, more here: https://www.foe.ie/takeaction/break-free-from-plastic/

Foweva Awone wrote: »

Been wondering this too. I don't break these things apart and amn't going to start. So (assuming they are clean and recyclable) should I just be putting e.g. envelopes with a window into the black bin? I don't pay for my bins so it doesn't matter to me from a cost perspective whether I put stuff in the black or the green bin.

It takes a second though to just peel off the window from the envelope, or many other mixed composite packaging for that matter. Sorry I realise I come across as being judgemental, just interested in why people would know this and still chuck it into landfill

Loafing Oaf

chite wrote: »

Re the metal ring on bottles - I'd say leave it if you can't remove it, it wouldn't be a major issue and not lose sleep over.

Us nonexperts wouldn't know what is or isn't a major issue though. Like I said, if you get down to the level of staples in magazines, most 'recyclables' are probably 'contaminated' in some way.

jackboy

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

Us nonexperts wouldn't know what is or isn't a major issue though. Like I said, if you get down to the level of staples in magazines, most 'recyclables' are probably 'contaminated' in some way.

Only a very small fraction of what is in the recycling bin actually gets recycled. Essentially, we are all pretty much just pretending to recycle.

chite

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

Us nonexperts wouldn't know what is or isn't a major issue though. Like I said, if you get down to the level of staples in magazines, most 'recyclables' are probably 'contaminated' in some way.

I'm not an expert, I've only taken an interest in this subject when China stopped accepting recyclables from other countries, including Ireland due to having to deal with too much contaminated recyclables all the time.
I could've said to cut the mouth of the bottle and separate the pieces, but then not everyone is able to do this - as I said don't need to fuss over the small things - separate what you can.

Fact is although they're different materials (paper and metal) Recyclables mixed with non-recyclables is worse than mixed recyclables, and the latter is more easily sorted in the recycling facility unlike the former if not spotted by staff or optical sensors.

Anyway if you want find out more check out:

http://southernwasteregion.ie
http://www.curwmo.ie
http://www.emwr.ie/

https://recyclinglistireland.ie
https://www.repak.ie/
https://voiceireland.org/

You can also ask questions to your bin provider as well.

Live at Three

Just to be clear, I'm not asking how to cut the ring off a bottle or the widget from a can, or the staples out of a magazine, or what I should worry about or not lose sleep over, I'm just asking what happens when they go to recycling.

It it all just dumped into landfill?

Live at Three

Good podcast on the subject here:

https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/HSW2803447202.mp3. Sent from Podcast Republic

chite

Live at Three wrote: »

Just to be clear, I'm not asking how to cut the ring off a bottle or the widget from a can, or the staples out of a magazine, or what I should worry about or not lose sleep over, I'm just asking what happens when they go to recycling.

It it all just dumped into landfill?

See post #4 on this thread

Also check out https://recyclinglistireland.ie/ if you haven't done so already

Live at Three

chite wrote: »

See post #4 on this thread

Also check out https://recyclinglistireland.ie/ if you haven't done so already

On the website on the recyclable list it has a picture of an envelope with a plastic window and a tetra pak carton with a plastic lid. Interesting.

Del.Monte

As I've said before, recycling is a shambles and there's so much misinformation out there that I despair sometimes. I'm responsible for my own recycling and a nearby institute and to see what goes in the recycling bin is mind-blowing. Even if it was done properly it's all horsed into a big bin truck and mashed in with tons of possibly contaminated material. It doesn't matter how much effort the individual makes as it only takes a small of contaminated recycling to wreck the whole thing. My local waste company - Bord na Mona operated - told me that all their contaminated waste goes to landfill.

Live at Three

Del.Monte wrote: »

My local waste company - Bord na Mona operated - told me that all their contaminated waste goes to landfill.

Thank you!

embraer170

It would be good to know what exactly is considered to be contaminated load.

Del.Monte

Repak Chief Executive (!) on Pat Kenny show today talking out of his arse about recycling - there's a surprise! :rolleyes:

Wanderer78

Del.Monte wrote:

Repak Chief Executive (!) on Pat Kenny show today talking out of his arse about recycling - there's a surprise!

What was he talking about? I ll listen back myself later

Del.Monte

Wanderer78 wrote: »

What was he talking about? I ll listen back myself later

Recycling in general and he clearly didn't know simple basic facts about the subject and was corrected by the other contributor on the segment. Repak is a feel-good organisation that the Government can hold up to show how they are doing their bit for recycling/climate change etc. - a bit like the EPA - both illusional to fool the great unwashed public.

Wanderer78

Del.Monte wrote: »

Repak Chief Executive (!) on Pat Kenny show today talking out of his arse about recycling - there's a surprise! :rolleyes:

is this available on the internets, i cant seem to find it on the newstalk site?

Gael23

Sausage wrapper or anything that touches raw meat goes to landfill.

Live at Three

Interesting program on RTE 1 now about waste. One Day: How Ireland Cleans Up

Alkers

Gael23 wrote: »

Sausage wrapper or anything that touches raw meat goes to landfill.

Even if washed?

Live at Three

What about orange juice carton? Cardboard carton with plastic spout?

[Deleted User]

Live at Three wrote: »

Interesting program on RTE 1 now about waste. One Day: How Ireland Cleans Up

Not on the RTE Player I see. The other One Day programs are on it