Central Florida Recycles

Local communities across Central Florida are teaming up to help you recycle right! Central Florida Recycles is a campaign aimed at uniting communities across the region to prevent valuable recyclables from going to waste in our landfills. Recycling is good for both the environment and the economy, but contamination can hinder the process and increase costs for everyone.

Whether you’re new to recycling or have been trying your best for years, please take a few minutes to review some recycling basics that ring true across the region.

Stay informed by following #CentralFloridaRecycles on social media.

How do you reuse or recycle plastic shopping bags, package wraps and other single-use materials? Tell the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) by taking a short survey!

FDEP is partnering with the University of Florida to learn more about the use of plastic bags in retail across the state.

The survey will be open through October 31.

How do I recycle right?

Recycling program guidelines can be slightly different depending on where you live in the region. It’s important you know before you throw. Check with your local community to see what is accepted in your recycling program:

Plastic Bags & Wraps

No plastic bags or wraps are allowed in curbside recycling. Plastic bags get tangled in the processing equipment and can shut down the recycling facility. Do not bag recyclables; leave all items loose in the recycling cart.

Drop off clean and empty plastic materials at participating stores:

Retail, newspaper, and dry cleaning bags
Package wraps for water bottles, diapers, and toilet paper
Shipping materials such as air pillows, bubble wrap, and plastic shipping envelopes

Find drop-off locations at PlasticFilmRecycling.org.

Household Hazardous & Electronic Waste

There’s a better home for household hazardous waste (HHW) and electronic waste (E-Waste). Deliver paints, pesticides, propane tanks, cooking oil, fluorescent lightbulbs, computers, cell phones, car fluids, and more to a drop-off location for free proper disposal. These items should NEVER go in your cart or bin. Visit your local program page for more information.

Wishcycling

Are you wishcycling? Wishcyclers place all kinds of items in the recycling cart they hope are recyclable. Recycling contamination occurs when things that can’t be recycled at the curb — plastic bags, greasy pizza boxes, foam, clothing, and more — are tossed into recycling carts. When too many wrong items are collected, equipment can be damaged or entire truckloads of recyclables sent to the landfill. When in doubt, leave it out.

Why Should I Recycle

Recycling reduces the amount of raw materials needed to make new items and keeps reusable materials out of landfills. By recycling, you are conserving natural resources and contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gases. Communities who recycle can create a circular economy around recycling where materials are recycled, sourced, and manufactured in the same region. It’s important to recycle with care so we can reduce waste and help Central Florida become a more sustainable region.

Recycling Facts:

Recycling one aluminum can instead of making a brand new one saves enough energy to power a laptop for 5.2 hours.
Recycling 10 plastic bottles rather than making 10 new ones out of raw materials saves enough energy to power a laptop for 2.5 hours.
An aluminum can that is recycled can be back on a store shelf as a new can in just two months.

Sources:

www.epa.gov

www.earth911.com