As part of this week's Green Tuesday feature, we look at recycling plastics.
UPPER PENINSULA -- Recycling can seem a bit intimidating. So many questions come up...what to recycle, how to store it, or what to do with it later. And what about the things you just can't recycle? Can it be used in other, useful ways?
Before diving into recycling, we need to think about waste; it's not all garbage, so it's important to call certain items recyclables.
One of the largest growing areas of recycling is plastic, which is a type of synthetic or man-made polymer.
According to the website American Chemistry, plastics, in one form or another, have been around for over 100 years. As new materials are being developed, so are new uses.
Plastics are divided into seven main categories, and only certain ones are recyclable. Determining what you have and what to do with it is a chore that can be simplified with a little study.
According to Bruce Martin of Waste Management in Marquette, it's as easy as looking at the bottom of the recyclables.
"You'll notice on the plastics, probably 9 times out of 10, on the bottom there's a type 1 or type 2. Those are the ones you can recycle. Everything else is of waste," stated Martin.
Kepe in mind that caps and pump spray tops may need to be removed if they are not marked with a number. Rinse out items, and then store them for the next collection day. And, in the city of Marquette, different types of recyclables no longer need to be stored in separate containers.
"You want to keep cardboard separate and then everything else can be mixed together," continued Martin. "The sorting process now is, it's a comingled, one stream now, where it used to be three different streams."
However, this is not the way it's done in all areas.
Make sure to tune into the TV6 Morning News each Tuesday morning for more Green Tuesday features and ideas on how to make a difference both in the environment and in your wallet. Or you can visit the TV6 Green Tuesday's webpage for more information.
Next week we'll visit with one Marquette Salon that's encouraging their customers to be Earth friendly.
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