Answers to
your frequently asked questions about the 3 R's
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Where do items for recycling go after the hauler has collected
them?
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What are the most common misconceptions about recycling?
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Why do the waste collectors often put the recyclables into the
same truck as garbage?
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Which Hamilton County Communities are most successful in their
recycling efforts?
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What three, simple things could any consumer do to reduce the
amount of waste put into landfills?
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How can I reduce the amount of junk mail I receive?
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How can I recycle my yardwaste?
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How can I recycle or properly dispose of my Household Hazardous
Waste?
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What types of plastics are recyclable in Hamilton County?
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Why can't you recycle all plastics in our area?
Where can I recycle plastic
bags?
Most of the residential recyclable materials that are collected in Hamilton County are
delivered to the Rumpke Recycling Facility in St. Bernard, where they are sorted and
marketed to end users.
- Newspaper is
remanufactured into a variety of materials such as insulation, paper tubes and packaging.
- PETE is used for
polyester clothing, carPETEing and roofing materials.
- HDPE is used to
make irrigation pipe and drainage tiles.
- Glass is used to
make new containers and fiberglass.
- Aluminum cans
are used to make new cans.
- Steel is used to
make new steel products.
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- That recycling should be free.
Many people believe that they should not be charged for recycling services because it is
"the right thing to do" or because the waste companies are making a significant
amount of money from selling recyclables. Although people are making the right choice when
they recycle, their recyclables still need to be collected by special vehicles, processed
at facilities that cost millions of dollars to build and transported to markets that are
as far away as Asia. All of this requires equipment and labor, which translates into cost.
Some recyclables, such as aluminum, have a high enough market value to generate enough
revenue to cover the cost of collection, processing and marketing. Other recyclables, such
as paper and glass, are of such little value that they may actually cost the waste hauler
more to collect, process and transport than they receive from selling the materials. When
this occurs, the waste hauler needs to pass these costs on to their customers.
The way to increase the market value for recyclables is to purchase products made of
recycled-content materials.
- The second common misconception is that if a package says "recyclable"
or if it has the "chasing arrows" that it is recyclable in your community.
Not all materials that are "recyclable" are able to be recycled within Hamilton
County. For example, there are several variations of PETE (No. 1) plastic, such as bottles
and food trays, yet only bottles can be recycled in Hamilton County. This is due to the
lack of accessible markets available for PETE food trays. Thus, it is extremely important
to find out what materials can be recycled in your community's recycling program and
purchase products that can be recycled.
- A third misconception is that "recyclable" and
"recycled-content" mean the same thing.
"Recyclable"
means that the material has the potential to be recycled, but is only recycled after it is
collected, processed, marketed and remanufactured into a new product. "Recycled-content"
means the product is made out of recyclables that were remanufactured into new products. Thus,
unless we are buying recycled-content materials, we are not truly recycling.
In some cases, a residential-type garbage truck (rear-loader) is used to collect
recyclables. These materials go directly to the recycling facility. At the recycling
facility, materials that should not have been put in the recycling bin,
i.e., plastic bottles that are not PETE (No. 1) or HDPE (No. 2), must be sorted out and
sent to the landfill for proper disposal.
Residents in every Hamilton County community have access to some type of recycling
program. This is a great success due to the fact that in 1990, only 50 percent of Hamilton
County communities offered recycling programs. With respect to recycling rates, the five
Hamilton County communities with the highest recycling rates are:
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Wyoming 31.0%
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Forest Park 28.6%
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Madeira 27.3%
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Mariemont 25.6%
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Blue Ash 24.8% |
- Buy recycled-content materials. The only way to assure that recycling
programs continue is if there is a market for recyclables. Consumers control the market
place for recyclables though their purchasing practices. Thus, when shopping, be sure to
read the labels to see if the product is either made out of or packaged in
recycled-content materials.
- Participate. Every community in Hamilton County has either drop-off or
curbside recycling available to their residents. In fact, many Hamilton County communities
offer these services at no charge to their residents. Yet, in most communities, only 30
percent to 40 percent of the residents choose to participate. If you have these programs
and they are offered for free, take advantage of them and participate. Also, if you have
access to programs and there is a fee, please still consider participating. The cost of
the recycling program, which is between $2.00 and $4.00 per month, may seem expensive.
However, recycling prolongs the life of our area landfills. If local landfills run out of
space and Hamilton County residents have to ship their garbage long distance, they could
easily pay an additional $10.00 a month for garbage collection.
- "Use Less Stuff." Everybody has extremely busy schedules and
convenience items are an essential part of our lives. However, some of these convenient
items have a significant amount of excess packaging which is neither recycled-content or
is recyclable. When purchasing convenient items, try to select the item which has the
least amount of packaging and is packaged in either recycled-content or recyclable
materials.
You can reduce waste by having your name removed from many bulk mailing lists. Write to
:
Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, New York 11735-9008
You can recycle your yardwaste at home! Receive a FREE copy of the Yardwaste
at Home Handbook from the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services by
calling the Yardwaste & Composting Hotline at 946-7755. This handbook
gives valuable information on topics such as composting, vermicomposting and organic
gardening. Also, Yardwaste Recycling Drop-off Sites are
available for the use of Hamilton County residents.
You can receive more information by checking the
Household Hazardous
Waste Homepage or by calling the HHW Hotline at 946-7700.
Many - but not all - plastics marked 1 and 2 are readily accepted by
recyclers in Hamilton County, while those numbered 3 through 7 are not accepted on a
residential basis at this time. However, just because a container is marked 1 or 2 doesn't
mean it's acceptable. You need to know exactly what types of containers are accepted by
your recycler. For instance, most will accept milk jugs, pop, detergent, and shampoo
bottles, but they will not accept other 1 and 2 containers, such as butter tubs. Remember
to take the lids off!
Recyclers in the Hamilton County area do not have an end market for plastics numbered 3
through 7. Without a close processor to sell these plastics, it is very expensive to
recycle them at this time.
Where can I recycle my
plastic grocery bags?
Plastic grocery bags can be recycled at area
Kroger's, Wal-Mart, and biggs locations.
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