My youngest daughter Laura was visiting recently, and took me to task as I was tossing an empty plastic apple sauce container into our kitchen recycling bin. “Dad, you can’t recycle that!” I responded, “Why not, it has a recycle symbol on the bottom of it?” to which she stated with a high degree of certainty, “Just because there’s a recycle symbol on something doesn’t mean you can recycle it…and that is not a recyclable item!”
I remember being young, confident, and thinking that I had all the answers. Perhaps it’s a function of my age now, but she had me second-guessing myself, and I thought just maybe she was right…after all, she was so damn sure of herself! I was in a quandary to say the least.
Not to worry, the next day while driving down Tower Avenue, I passed a Hartel Recycling truck with their phone number on the side. I reached for my cell phone (yes, I was careful while driving) and called them up, and posed the question about the dastardly apple sauce container. Val Hartel, who answered the phone on the second ring, reassured me that I was correct in recycling it, and she volunteered to send me the recycling guidelines for Superior residents who are serviced by Hartel’s/DBJ ‘No Sort” Recycling.
This is what you can recycle in our fair city:
• Paper Products — newspaper (including all inserts),
magazines, catalogs, telephone books, office/computer
paper, shredded paper, envelopes, mail, chipboard/
paperboard (like cereal boxes) and corrugated cardboard*.
Shredded Paper: Please place in PAPER BAG.
*Cardboard: If cardboard does not fit in recycling cart,
cut into 2′ x 2′ pieces, flatten and place next to the cart.
• Plastic Products — bottles and containers with #1 thru
#7 on the bottom (discard pumps). My lowly little apple sauce container has a #7 on it…someone call my daughter up and tell her please!
NO PLASTIC BAGS will be accepted, they cannot be recycled.
• Glass — bottles and jars, clear, brown, and green colors
are accepted (remove caps and lids and place in garbage).
NO BROKEN glass will be accepted.
• Metal — tin and aluminum food or beverage containers
are recyclable, as well as empty aerosol cans (please
remove plastic tips).
NOTE: All items MUST BE RINSED CLEAN for recycling.
Click Here to Download the Above Directions
So, now that you know the rules of the road, please take an extra look at the stuff you’ve been throwing into the garbage. Also, remember to rinse the food containers out. My simple technique on jars is to run a few ounces into a jar or plastic jug, then put the cap on and give it a good shake. Then drain it into the sink and recycle. This method seems to remove almost all remaining residue. More stubborn foods may require an additional rinse.
As I tell my family…be kind to Mother Nature and recycle!
