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What is Contamination and What is Clean Enough?

                                             GOAL

 

– KEEP OUR VALUABLE NATURAL RESOURCES  PREVIOUSLY CALLED WASTE

IN CIRCULATION BY REPROCESSING THEM 

THIS DEMANDS CLEAN STREAM

 

Contamination in GREEN WASTE cans -  See flyer below for complete list

  • Anything NOT organic that could cause injury to employees if they tangle in the machinery; batteries cause fires

  • These things are what the cameras on trucks pick up.

  • clothing, painted or treated lumber, hoses, ropes, cement or rocks, etc.

 

Contamination in Household RECYCLE cans – See flyer below for complete list

  • Soiled material – greasy pizza boxes or paper towels

  • Bottles or containers with water inside that can leak out on paper; wet paper cannot be recycled

  • Materials in plastic bags

  • Propane canisters/tanks

  • Cracked glass

  • Styrofoam packaging or serviceware

  • Hoses, ropes

  • Yard waste – place in Green waste can

  • Household Hazardous Waste

  • Pallets/wood

  • Metal other than a can – no hangers, equipment

  • Currently only #1 and #2 plastic containers

  • No plastic bags

 

REMEMBER PLEASE - One person’s contamination becomes the contamination for all the homes on the truck’s route because it makes the whole load unrecyclable – this is a huge piece to convey.

 

 

What is Clean Enough? – "CLEAN STREAM" is the goal to make recyclables acceptably clean to reprocess into new containers and products. Soiled containers cannot be reprocessed and can contaminate a whole load so it goes to landfill.

 

  • Rinse out and swish water around to wash out food contaminates

  • Add a little soap for greasy containers

  • No need to remove labels, staples, plastic windows. caps

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