Ok. What is the damage to the environment if I throw out something in the wrong recycling bin?

Question

Like, if I put an aluminum can in the paper goods bin?

Answer 1

The damage to the environment was done long before you threw it in the recycling bin; it started when the aluminum was mined in an open pit bauxite mine and was processed and formed and filled and transported and stored and bought and cooled by you - all of those actions had a FAR greater impact on the environment than tossing something like an aluminum can into the paper recycling bin..

Answer 2

Put a piece of window glass in with bottles and it will ruin the whole batch of a ton or so of glass.   So many people contaminate glass now most of it isn't even recycled anymore, its just used as fill.

Answer 3

im pretty sure there would be earthquakes, volcano erruptions, tidal waves, and all the leaves and grass would turn brown, and then the world would end.

Answer 4

Well when it is not collected and a contaminated sticker is put on the bin, then you will have to handle extra waste hanging around your environment.

Or put it this way if it's missed along with another... say 30 cans by the collector, it gets transported anyway along with a load of paper say 10 tonnes, about 50 miles but gets to the processor who sees metal in the pile and straight out fails that load for being up to 5% contaminated from the few cans he can see at the top of the pile. It all then gets landfilled and the carbon footprint for that load is pretty high for waste.

You tell me whether or not that is damaging to the environment?

Answer 5

Nothing. It all gets separated at the recycling place anyway.