It's only fair to share...

We all want to be good eco-citizens and pass a healthier world on to our children and grandchildren, but figuring out what goes in the recycling bin or the garbage bin can be a weekly dilemma for some.

As our recycling abilities continue to expand, it is remarkable how many of our trash items can join the blue bins, grey bins or green bins on a weekly basis. In many families, the actual garbage bin is becoming the smallest item on our curb.

To keep both the landfills and recycling centres operating at top capacity, there are some basic guidelines to do your part in cleaning up the environment.

Home waste is divided into four basic categories:

– Trash

– Organics (Green Bin)

– Paper (Grey Bin)

– Containers (Blue Bin)

Green Bin

Green bin organics are easy – food waste and paper-only products that food was contained in such as microwave popcorn bags. However, the “NO” items for your green bin may surprise you. Very simply, items that make you go “ew” at the thought of touching them belong in the trash. These items include diapers, pet waste, cigarette butts, feminine hygiene products, leaf and yard waste, and vacuum bags (but the bag can be emptied into your green bin if it contains just dust and dirt, and then the bag itself goes to the trash).

Grey Bin

Paper products have been recycled the longest, along with glass beverage bottles and cans, but just because it is paper does not mean it can be recycled! A good rule of thumb is, if it appears in your mailbox, it is safe for the paper bin.

Paper items that should go somewhere else include compostable green bin items, including paper towels, tissues, paper cups, wax paper, and paper that is soiled. Paper products that need to go directly to your trash include waxed cardboard, waxed or foil-coated paper, and foil wrapping paper.

Blue Bin

This is the recycling category that causes the most confusion and mis-directed garbage. The blue bin is all about containers, but not every food container belongs there.

What to leave out? Just because it is plastic or glass does not mean it can be recycled. A rough guideline for the “NO” category is that if you can break it with your hands, it goes to the trash. These items include light bulbs, drinking glasses, window panes, and ceramic items.

The breakable (or rip-able) list continues with Styrofoam, plastic bags, candy wrappers and chip bags.

Finally, unmarked bottles and empty motor oil bottles should find their way to the trash.

Just about every other item made of plastic, glass and metal can be recycled into your blue bin, but for a complete list and easy reference, please visit the page provided by Simcoe County at: http://bit.ly/2q0B7Xl

It's only fair to share...