What is NOT recyclable?

Question

I am doing a recycling lesson with first graders, and I would like to present them with some materials and have them choose what is and is not recyclable. So what common materials that children this age would be familiar with are NOT recyclable?

Answer 1

stirofoam.

you know, those foamy cups and plates people use at picnics or big functions. they will never recycle. they will never be destroyed.

Answer 2

Depends on where you live and how clever you are.  Many people in our town might think that pottery, toilets, broken up concrete, asphalt from roads, old bricks, and gravel might not be recyclable.  However, we happen to have, a commercial site that grinds up those things, with most of their volume coming from razed buildings and grinding down or removing road paving.  This company moves their big grinder to their sites in other cities periodically in order to make best use of it's cost.  They will accept small amounts of the things I mentioned if individuals drop them off.  

- My husband and I also have a bucket where we collect our old nails and other bits of metal that aren't collected by our curbside program.  When these accumulate and I'm in the area, I drop them off at a scrap metal recycler, that also takes microwaves and appliances that don't have freon (refrigerators, dehumidifiers, air conditioners-  those I've recycled by asking the place where I'm buying a new one to take the old one for recycling.  I don't want this done irresponsibly.  The  recycler needs to be big enough to collect the freon.)

- Have not figured out how to easily recycle fluorescent light bulbs, other than to collect them until the year we have a hazardous waste collection day.  These contain mercury and mercury vapor.

Answer 3

I have a hard time thinking about this. I tend to think that everything ( even styrofoam - to make other styrofoam ) can be recycled. Many things are not, merely because they are difficult to collect and due to the cost, but they CAN be recycled. I am not sure about things like used uranium rods and waste radioactive material.

Answer 4

In response to user: me16740 some of those things are recyclable. I expect this may be a list from your local recycling center?

I know our small recycling center takes both batteries & books.

Tubs (yogurt, margarine, etc.) These are generally made of a #5 recyclable plastic. Yogurt cups are usually made of the same material.. and while my center will not take them others do.

Answer 5

Depends on what your local recycling facility will allow.....in our city they will not accept anything other than a #1 plastic in our recycling bin. So i can`t buy liquid laundry soap or store bought muffins. BUT IT MAKES ME THINK TWICE ABOUT ALL THE PACKAGING I BRING HOME!! There are pretty great lists here of things that can`t be recycled like aerosol cans...

Answer 6

If you want to find something that is or is not recyclable just look on the item's bottom or back or elsewhere to see if there is a little triangle with a number 1-6 on it, that means it can be recycled.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recyclables

Answer 7

Heres a few there are obviously tons more but these are a few they should recognize:

Aerosol cans

Glass (other than drink bottle and food jars)

Batteries

Books (take to bookstore to be recycled)

Bottle caps or lids

Broken glass

Candy or chip bags

Car batteries (take to auto parts store)

Carbon paper

Cat litter

Cups, coffee or drink

Disposable diapers

Foam, Styrofoam or polystyrene

Food storage containers

Food waste

Food wrappers

Juice or milk cartons

Microwave meal containers

Mirrors

Napkins or paper towels

Oil

Paint cans

Paper or Styrofoam cups

Paperboard boxes (tissue, cereal, shoe, laundry detergent, soda can suitcases, milk or

juice cartons)

Personal products

Pizza boxes

Plastic bags film or wraps

Plastic cups, plates or utensils

Plastic cutlery or straws

Plastic or wire hangers

Pots & pans

Shrink-wrap

Soiled or wet paper

Styrofoam packaging (peanuts or formed/shaped)

Take-out containers

Paper towels

Plastic toys

Tissue paper

Take out boxes

Toothpaste tubes

Tubs (yogurt, margarine, etc.)

Waxed cardboard

Waxed paper

Yogurt or fruit cups

Answer 8

Styrofoam cups

Answer 9

Anything plastic or metal that is soiled with food products, paper with a shiny sie (ie. the plastic wrapper from printer paper). Anything with glue, chemicals, medications etc. Also depends on where you live and if you have an organics program.

Answer 10

Expanded polystyrene is not easily recyclable because of its light weight and low scrap value. It is generally not accepted in curbside programs. Expanded polystyrene foam takes a very long time to decompose in the environment and has been documented to cause starvation in birds and other marine wildlife.

Answer 11

pottery? i may be very wrong