Got called out for my recycling habits at a town clean-up

I was volunteering at the river clean-up in Springfield last month, sorting stuff into bags. A woman pointed at my pile and said, 'You're putting greasy pizza boxes in with the cardboard, that ruins the whole batch.' I had no idea (I thought all cardboard was good). I looked it up that night and she was totally right. Now I rip off the clean top and toss the greasy bottom. Has anyone else had a basic recycling rule they were getting wrong?

2 comments

2 Comments

iris_rivera441mo ago

Oh, I was the same with plastic bags! I used to toss them in the bin, thinking they were fine. Turns out they jam up the sorting machines at the plant, so now I take them back to the store. You really do learn something new every day.

murray.grace1mo ago

My local recycling center has a sign about bag jamming that I must have walked past a hundred times. Honestly, I only read it last month after I caused a mini avalanche of cans trying to shove a bag in the bin. I felt like a proper genius that day, let me tell you. Took me years to figure out the system was designed for loose items, not my bundle of bags. I guess common sense isn't always my strong suit with this stuff.