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Recycling became mandatory in many major cities, and it is encouraged everywhere else. Recycling is an effective, cost-efficient, ecologically safe way to reuse many of the household items. Exactly what to recycle will depend on your recycling facility, but the majority of the recyclable items include:
- Aluminum cans. It cost 10 times more to produce an aluminum can from raw aluminum than to produce the same can from a recycled can. Aluminum cans can be recycled an unlimited amount of times.
- Paper. Almost any kind of paper can be recycled. Shredded paper shorter than 8 inches long usually is not recycled. Any small-sized paper products, like confetti, usually have no recyclable value.
- Shopping bags. All plastic and paper shopping bags can be recycled. Make sure the bags are clean with no food or liquid contamination.
- Plastic containers. All plastic containers have a code, usually on the bottom of the container, describing what kind of polymer they are made from. Check with your recycling facility what kind of plastics you are allowed to recycle. Mostly, only numbers 1 and 2 will be recyclable.
- Glass. All glass bottles and jars can be recycled unlimited amount of times. Usually you are not required to separate glass by color. Lids are not recyclable. All glass products should be cleaned to avoid contamination.
- Steel and tin cans. All steel and tin cans should be cleaned before recycling. You can recycle the cans with the lids if the lids are still attached to the cans. Just push them inside the can. Loose lids are usually not recyclable. There is no need to remove labels from steel and tin cans.
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