With Earth Day just one week away, now is the perfect time to determine how you’ll celebrate – on Earth Day, and every day. Every year, Franklin County residents and businesses send over a million tons of material to the Franklin County landfill. Even though Franklin County’s 50 percent recycling rate exceeds the national average, nearly 76 percent of materials that end up in the landfill can be recycled or composted. So, we can do better!
It’s also not enough to simply recycle – it’s just as important to recycle right. By taking a few minutes to recycle right, you help reduce pollution, contribute to clean water, conserve limited natural resources and reduce our reliance on landfills.
Think you know how to recycle right? Check out these myth busters below!
True or False: Virtually all household paper and cardboard are recyclable.
Answer: TRUE! And yet, 30 percent of the material in the Franklin County landfill is paper or cardboard. Both materials are used by Ohio companies to make new products like shipping boxes and office paper. Paper and cardboard are accepted in Franklin County’s curbside and drop off recycling programs. Please flatten boxes before recycling.
True or False: Not all plastic bottles, jugs and tubs can be recycled.
Answer: FALSE! All plastic bottles, jugs and tubs can now be recycled. This includes all your yogurt containers and butter, sour cream, and dip tubs, like hummus, in addition to plastic bottles and jugs. Just give them a quick rinse out when necessary, leave the labels on and place both the caps and lids back on the container. DYK companies right here in the Columbus region use our recycled laundry detergent and shampoo bottles to make new highly engineered products, including pipes that go underground for decades to serve communities.
True or False: Only certain colors of glass are accepted in the curbside and drop-off recycling programs.
Answer: FALSE! All colors of glass are accepted in these programs. Glass can be recycled indefinitely, and glass produced from recycled glass reduces related air pollution by 20% and water pollution by 50%.
True or False: Steel and aluminum cans are both acceptable for recycling.
Answer: TRUE! Empty aerosol cans are also accepted as long as the tip has been removed. Recycled cans are back on local shelves in as little as 60 days as new cans!
True or False: Milk and broth cartons are accepted, but juice boxes are not.
Answer: FALSE! Cartons such as milk, broth and juice boxes are all accepted. Simply empty the carton and remove straws and lids before recycling.
Recycling has never been easier. When we recycle right, we can make a different for our environment and community. For more tips on how to recycle right and celebrate Earth Month, click here.
To find a recycling facility near you and learn about other common household items accepted as part of Franklin County’s curbside and drop-off recycling programs, click here.
Together, we can make a difference.