Things You Have to Stop Putting in Recycling

Whether you live in a house or an apartment, you have to take out garbage and recycling. But what is actually supposed to go in the recycling bin? I'm here to help cause I have the same issue where I forget or just plain have no idea what goes in my recycling bin. After consulting the city of Lansing's recycling page and Michigan State, I have some tips to share.

First, what to do with plastic bags. I know you have tons of these in your house, and I have dozens as well, but you can't recycle these in your recycling bin or at Michigan State. The best thing to do for recycling plastic bags is to gather them all up and bring them to Home Depot, Lowe's, or any other retailer that takes plastic bags., I usually have a big bag of plastic bags that I'll take with me when I shop at one of these stores. Michigan State's recycling stop also takes them, but make sure you take every thing out of the bag. Don't throw these out or recycle them, as plastic bags in landfills don't break down as fast as normal garbage and most recycling places can't take them.

Next, let's talk about all of those take out food containers. These are usually made of plastic and can be recycled, but make sure you check the number. There are several different plastics #1 through #7, and most places, like Michigan State, will take these. But make sure it is clean and also make sure to separate plastic because some of the numbered plastics can't go with others.

Here's something a lot of people have problems with....pizza boxes. Yes, you can recycle them at Michigan State but obviously it has to be free of food and not a lot of grease, which I know can be tough sometimes. You can not recycle boxboard or wax-coated boxes at Michigan State, though, so not all cardboard is equal.

Another big one that is a constant problem at recycling facilities is styrofoam, which is also called polystyrene. You usually get this when you take food home, and no you can't put this in your recycling bin, but you can take it to several places around Lansing and have it get recycled. You can see those here.

If you want to see more on recycling and recycling myths, then check it out here.