Ten common recycling mistakes
As architects we are compelled to produce an independent project with each building licence application, which shows what amount of building materials require recycling.
We have to calculate the quantity of each type of building debris and specify where it should go. The contractor who disposes of it is required to present documents from an official landfill site to the town hall as proof that the calculated debris has been deposited in the correct places.
We obviously have a computer programme that does the calculation, we introduce the type of building work and the programme extracts the debris that will emanate from the work. This even includes the lunch leftovers that the builders produce during the construction period.
When carrying out this exercise it is interesting to discover what debris goes where, so I decided to write this article and ask you to take a little test to see if you know how to recycle. The test comes a little later.
Recycling is very important and recycling correctly is just as, or even more, important.
Reduce consumption, reuse objects, recycle materials, return packaging and repair what can have a second life are the five R’s of sustainability. Every year, throughout the world, billions of plastic bottles are thrown away. According to a study by Greenpeace, this means that between 4 and 13 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year, a plastic that marine animals devour, with the associated risks to their lives.
In Spain, a total of 1.3 million tons of domestic packaging are recycled annually, according to the Study of Recycling Habits of Spaniards, prepared by the Apolda Institute. Recycling well is indispensable in helping this whole concept. But sometimes we do not succeed and it is because of our own ignorance. Here are 10 common mistakes in the separation of household waste for recycling: 1. Where should you deposit a used pizza box? One of the most common recycling mistakes is to put the greasy cardboard pizza box in the blue container. Don’t!! You have to take it to the organic matter or the grey container, when oil or fat is absorbed by cardboard, it makes it difficult for the treatment plants to process, containing a small amount of fat may be worth recycling, but if the oily substance has taken over the cardboard, it is best to leave it in the general container, the organic container.
However, remember that the boxes have two sides: one of them may be unusable, but maybe the lid can be recovered for recycling in the blue container, the cardboard one. 2. A Coke can? As incredible as it may seem, there is still a lot of ignorance about what is metal packaging and what is not (and it must go to the yellow container). Many citizens do not remember that brick packages and cans are containers and therefore, must be deposited in the yellow container.
The brick packages are perfectly recyclable and can be given a second life. And, cans are made of aluminium and can be recycled an unlimited number of times. 3. What about the plastic bag? If the recycling container is far from your home, or walking distance, it is normal to put rubbish in a bag, to help transport it. But watch out, you have to remember to empty the waste in its proper container and recover the plastic bag.
Plastic bags that end up in the paper or glass container are one of the most recurring nightmares of workers at waste treatment plants. The reason is that they get stuck in the machinery and make the whole process difficult. 4. Where do toys go? Although they are made of plastic, toys do not go into the yellow container. The reason is not a question of fancy: toys are not packaging. Some of them, in addition, contain other materials, such as electrical components. So, what should we do with them?
Plastic toys must be brought to the town’s ‘clean point’ (special collection places), since they are usually made of good quality plastic.
This makes them more valuable, as it is possible to melt them down and use them again to manufacture another object. In addition, there are different NGOs that collect used toys for social projects. Every town hall normally has a list of clean points and their opening hours displayed on the website. 5. What about a baby milk bottles or kitchen utensils? Like toys, and although they are also made of plastic, bottles and pacifiers should not be put in the yellow container either. The convenient thing is to send them to a clean point.
The same goes for kitchen utensils that with the passage of time and use cease to be effective, such as a spatula or pans. Remember: they do not go into the yellow container. 6. Where do I throw my toothbrush? Neither toothbrushes nor razors have to be deposited in the yellow container. Although their main material is plastic, they are not packaging, and their correct destination is the in the grey container. In the best case, the recyclable materials will be extracted before being sent to the incinerator or to a deposit. 7. What do I do with cotton swabs? Other things that should go into the grey container, although many end up in the yellow, are swabs and wet wipes. 8. And light bulbs? No, they do not go into the green glass container. Traditional filament bulbs must be deposited in the grey container. But if they are LED or fluorescent bulbs it is better to take them to a clean point or to stores where they are sold, as they usually have a container for them.
This type of rubbish is treated by separating the glass and metals materials, which are valuable materials. In addition, during the process mercury is extracted from the light bulbs, which serves to make batteries or new light bulbs. 9. Cork bottle stoppers? Natural cork is an organic material, which is part of the bark of trees (cork oak). Therefore, if your municipality has an organic waste collection system that is the most appropriate place to dispose of wine bottle corks, as they can become compost.
And if not, although it seems incredible, you have to leave it in the yellow container, because it is considered to be packaging. Other objects that also go into the yellow container are metal plates and plastic plugs. 10. And glasses and cups? Neither glasses (glass vessels) nor glass panels are glass packaging, so they should not go in the green container. The reason is that glasses and cups contain materials that differentiate them from the purely glass, and require a different treatment and higher temperatures to melt them. You have to take them to the grey container or to a clean point. British and Spanish qualified Architect