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People have a habit of putting un-recyclable things in the blue bin. Here are top 10 things people should not recycle but do anyways. The article provides insight as to why they should not.

1. Food:

Many people dump their food with boxes and other items that are recyclable. I really cannot imagine where people got the idea that food could be reused. It`s absolutely impossible. Food and other organic items belong in the green bin for composting.

2. Styrofoam:

People have a habit of putting Styrofoam cups and plates inside recycling bins, especially after drinking coffee or eating cake. It should not go inside the recycling bin because there is not enough material left after the item is broken down.

3. Soiled Items:

These are not recyclable either, despite what people think. On the street you would be surprised how many people do not follow instructions and put out soiled, dirty, stained aluminum foil, pizza boxes etc. in the blue bin. If there are too much soiled items, the contamination could cause everything else to go in the garbage bin.

4. Trash Bags:

Many people dump their contents that are recyclable into trash bags and then into blue bins. Trash bags do not belong in the blue bins. All items need to be separately spread out. If you run out of space, put the items in reusable boxes.

5. Paper Towel:

This happens more often than it should not. When in the washroom, people randomly put paper towel in recyclable bins. If the garbage is full, they turn to the blue bin to dump the contents. The only problem is that paper towels are not recyclable.

Waste affects our world’s environment tremendously. Our environment is everything that surrounds us. It includes the air that we breathe, the water that we drink and the land that we walk on everyday. If we as citizens do not do our part to reduce or ecological footprints, the world could be in trouble with global warming effects rising. Here are top 10 ways you can reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink.

1. Bag for life:

These are reusable bags which are made of fabric. There is no need to waste time and money on single use and disposable bags which rip, are environmental dangerous and create more unnecessary waste.

2. Do not throw away food:

The green bin has been implemented in many countries such as Canada and the UK. It diverts unnecessary waste from the landfills for biodegradable and composting usages. If you have leftover sandwich or pasta from lunch which you won’t eat, don’t throw them into the garbage bin. Rather you should put any organic material such as food into the green bin for composting purposes.

3. Reuse paper:

Save the trees from being cut down and reuse paper. One way you can reduce, reuse and recycle is by utilizing paper products to the maximum capacity. You can double side all things when printing, keep old and open boxes for future uses and cut down on paper usage when ever possible. Instead of making a title page, you can also just write your name, your teacher’s name and the date on top of the first page.

4. Soda can tabs:

This is a simple gesture many people forget. They can never understand why they should recycle. The tabs from soda cans can save another person’s life. By collection enough tabs, people can build wheelchairs for those who cannot afford a new one. Simple gesture goes along way. If you didn’t know then, now you know.

5. Turn off Lights:

Whenever possible do not turn on the lights in your house. You are wasting energy. The more energy we use, the more electricity is needed. Electricity is not as environmentally friendly as we think and contributes to global warming.