Single-Stream Approach Simplifies Recycling
Published 10.17.2011
You can recycle more items on campus than at home due to Pennsylvania College of Technology's participation in single-stream recycling. This approach, administered by Waste Management Inc., allows commingling of recycled items, which means any and all recyclables can be disposed into any green recycling bin. Once those receptacles are full, the material is taken to a regional " super sorting machine " where automation and people separate the materials for sale into the materials market.
From daily life, recyclables include water bottles and other plastic and glass drink bottles, aluminum cans and other aluminum food containers, paper and cardboard products, any numbered plastic, and steel "tin" cans. Common nonrecyclable items include plastic wraps, plastic packing materials and foam peanuts, items with more than 5-percent food on them, dishes, window glass or light bulbs. In general, items that you can't write on with a ball-point pen are not recyclable.
Items that are recycled save Penn College money by reducing the amount of material in the waste stream that is delivered to landfills at high cost.
A complete list of single-stream recyclables can be viewed online .
PCToday "Green Tips," practical suggestions to help the college community save energy and money, are provided by the Energy Conservation Subcommittee; email Chairman Richard C. Taylor, associate professor of plumbing and heating, with items for possible publication.