Photo by Erin Nelson.
Recycling picked up from residential areas around the Birmingham metro area waits to be sorted at the Birmingham Recycling and Recovery Center. The recycling center urges residents to avoid putting their recycling in bags because the items are unable to move through the sorting system.
Putting your recycling in a plastic garbage bag. Really? What’s wrong with this picture?
In my Mountain Brook neighborhood, which is not unique, I constantly see recycling that has been put out on the street in plastic garbage bags. Waste Management puts guidelines of what can and cannot be recycled in everyone’s mailbox. They also have a very informative website. However, recycling continues to be put out on the street in plastic garbage bags.
I can’t decide who is more at fault. The people who think it is okay to put recycling in a plastic garbage bag (or newspapers that are still in the plastic wrapper) or Waste Management who, despite putting out clear guidelines, continues to pick these items up as if it’s okay.
It’s not okay. Plastic contaminates the whole process. Styrofoam and other banned materials that find their way into recycling also muck up the works.
If you have more recycling than will fit into a bin, simply call Waste Management at 800-333-7724 and buy an additional bin for $20. If you need the larger 64-gallon size, those can be ordered for $55. You can call the same number to replace damaged bins for free.
If you care enough about the environment to recycle, then care enough to read and follow the guidelines and care enough to buy an additional recycling bin if needed.
To read the Waste Management guidelines, go to wm.com/us/en/recycle-right/recycling-101.
Submitted by Jane McGriff, Mountain Brook resident.
