The community where I live, Van Buren Township, Mich., recently negotiated a new solid waste collection contract. The bad news is now we're paying $165.84 per year for service. It used to be free in exchange for hosting a landfill.
But there's good news, too. We all received brand-new 64-gallon recycling carts for free! This is, by far, the biggest recycling container I've ever owned.
Getting a new container prompted discussion about what we can recycle. I pay close attention to these things, since I've been writing about plastics recycling a long time.
I was thrilled to see the new containers came with instructions, plus there's a summary right on the lid. But it was kind of a letdown that the instructions still left some room for interpretation.
The lid says that WM accepts "plastic bottles, jugs and jars." But the written instructions say they accept "clean, empty & rinsed plastics containers, plastics Nos. 1, 2, 5, jugs, bottles."
Those descriptions don't mean the same thing. So I called the township for clarification and had a delightful discussion about plastics packaging.
"Turn over the container and look for a number," I was told. I laughed. Yes, I'm familiar with the resin ID code. Don't critics want to get rid of that? "Look for the number, and we only want ones, twos and fives."
I understand that, I said. But do you just want bottles? Thermoformed PET containers have a No. 1, and polypropylene margarine containers have a No. 5. Are those recycled?
More good news, the answer was yes.
I'm excited about our new bin, which I'm going to keep shiny and clean for as long as possible. Since it's a lot bigger and has a lid, I'm hoping it cuts down on trash-day litter.
