RECYCLABLES 101
Does Styrofoam go into the recycling bin? Can a yogurt cup be recycled if it has a little bit of yogurt in it? How about a Ziploc baggie with a little bit of peanut butter stuck to the inside? These questions and more are being posed to the students, with the goal of teaching exactly what can and cannot be recycled. Parent volunteers from the Social Responsibility committee ran informal presentations during the week of January 24, right outside the cafeteria, aimed at showing students what goes into the blue bins and what goes into the black bins.
During the presentations, students were encouraged to sort the wrappers, plastic bags, and food waste from their own lunches. Our committee hopes the students will take the knowledge with them and continue to sort their recyclables and trash at home. Please refer to the guidelines here for curbside recycling at home. The blue bins provided by the City of Los Angeles (LADWP trash pickup) are same at school and at your homes.
What goes into the blue bins? These items can be recycled:
Clean paper: computer paper, homework paper, notebook paper, white and colored paper, copier paper, construction paper, sticky notes, ads and junk mail, catalogs, flyers, envelopes, letters, newspaper, magazines, phone books
Plastic, must be mostly clean, but doesn’t have to be completely clean (= could be wiped off with a napkin): water bottles, soda bottles, containers, jugs, plasticware, plastic bags, Ziploc bags, yogurt containers, plastic milk bottles
Metal: aluminum cans, steel, tin, bi-metal, metal hangers
Glass: bottles, containers, jugs, jars
Clean Styrofoam: plates, cups, trays, packing material
Cardboard and chipboard: cereal boxes, food containers, file boxes
(NO pizza boxes with grease soaked into the cardboard)
What does not go into the blue bins? These item go into black bins:
NO food or liquids
NO clothes
NO milk boxes, juiceboxes, or juice cartons – or any box that is waxy
NO chip or snack bags – these metallic-looking bags are made of mylar, which cannot be recycled by LADWP
NO electronic or electric waste – batteries, cell phones, light bulbs, computer monitors, TVs (wait for an e-waste collection)
NO construction materials – wood can go into green bins
NO appliances
NO hoses
NO lawn furniture
