In January 2020 we hosted a workshop called “Recycling Therapy.” Those of you that attended got a chance to talk to SIMS Education Outreach Coordinator, Kara Napolitano from Sims Municipal Recycling Facility in Sunset Park, Brooklyn and ask her all your burning questions about recycling. We weren’t able to get to all of the questions that night, so we compiled a list of them all below, with answers from myself, Kara and DSNY.
General Recycling
Q: How important is it to make sure your recyclables are CLEAN before recycling?
A: In New York City, recyclables placed in the blue bin (metal, glass, plastic, cartons), do not need to be perfectly clean for them to be successfully recycled. We do suggest you give items a gentle rinse, so as not to attract pests to your kitchens, but from Sims end, items do not need to be perfectly clean. However, please do not send us items that are fully or partially full!
Q: Can you trust the recycle labels? What if something has a recycle symbol but no number?
A: More important than checking if a product has a recycle label, check your municipality's website to see if that item is accepted in your local recycling program. If it is not, or if you are not sure, throw the item in the trash. When in doubt, throw it out! The How2Recycle label (view at How2Recycle.info) attempts to represent recyclability of products throughout the United States.
Q: How do you recycle milk cartons, coconut water bottles, other “waxy” cartons that are partially paper?
A: In New York City, ALL CARTONS go in the blue bin (metal/glass/plastic bin), that includes, coconut water bottles, juice boxes, soup cartons, all of it.
Q: Can yogurt cups really be recycled?
A: In New York City, all rigid plastic may be placed in the blue bin.
Q: How do you recycle cold pack/silver bags from Amazon Fresh or Instacart?
A: If they are made of soft plastic, it is a trash item.
Q: Who is actually buying the final bales from Sims if China has largely rejected this?
A: Sims has not been selling plastic bales to companies in China for some time now. For the past several years, our customers have been domestic with two in Canada. Most of our customers are located up and down the eastern portion of the United States/North America.
Q: What are the biggest pain points for recycling plants that they wish recyclers would do?
A: Please DO NOT put the following items into your recycling bin: plastic bags, tanglers (extension cords, cables, pieces of cloth), batteries or any electronics, other hazardous items such as sharps (syringes) or toxic chemicals.
Q: How do I recycle items with multiple materials?
A: Most items made of multiple materials (except cartons!), are waste/trash. While there may be smaller, take back programs available, these items are generally not accepted in NYC curbside recycling. Another exception would be bulky items like refrigerators and microwaves that may be recycled curbside in NYC as they are mostly metal! However, look into Terracycle for ways to recycle multi-layer material items!
Q: Can I squish my recyclables (like plastic bottles or aluminum cans) and will they still be captured during the sorting process?
A: You may absolutely squish your recyclables. They will likely be squished in the DSNY truck that picks them up and brings them to Sims.
Q: How much power does Sims generate onsite?
A: On the sunniest (our solar array), windiest day (our wind turbine), Sims Recycling Facility in Sunset Park Brooklyn is run by 15% renewable energy.
Q: Is boxed water recyclable?
A: Boxed water comes in a carton and should be recycled with all other cartons in the blue bin with metal/glass/plastic items.
Q: Are razor blades and x-acto blades recyclable?
A: The items should be wrapped to cover the sharp edge and placed in the trash.
Q: Ice cream carton? Not recyclable?
A: Ice cream cartons should be placed in the trash.
Q: Aside from the recycling number are plastics recycled and sorted by color? If so, does the color impact rate of recycling?
A: In New York City, Sims sorts one type of plastic into color and natural. Color can reduce the value of the material, as the current process of recycling does not allow for the removal of color. Black plastic in particular is hard to recycle.
Q: How do you recycle wood?
A: Generally, used wood is trash, but if it is in good shape, see if you can donate it!
Q: Can wood furniture be shredded to be recycled and reused?
A: Wood furniture should be donated. This item is not collected in NYC curbside recycling. Check out donateNYC!
Q: Are Tetra Pak products recyclable?
A: Tetra Pak's are considered cartons and may be recycled in the blue bin with metal/glass/plastic.
Q: What is the best way to get big corporations to participate in the zero waste vision?
A: Reach out to them! Email, post on social media, write letters, start petitions. The more pressure we put on corporations to make changes the better chance we have to see them happen.
Q: How do we educate kids to resist all the temptations all around them?
A: Start implementing values about zero waste at a young age.
Q: How do you find jobs in the zero waste field?
A: Go to a ton of networking events, reach out to people and companies that you admire, volunteer, find an internship.
Q: How do I engage people in my community/apartment building in composting? Not sure if they don't understand or just don't care.
A: look into Big Reuse!
Q: What is the lowest lift thing everyone can do that would make the most impact?
A: In our personal opinion, composting is easy and makes a huge impact because of methane emissions in landfill and its immense impact on the atmosphere. So start composting, and tell EVERYONE you know to do the same.
Plastics
Q: How is plastic recycled and what happens to the end product?
A: In NYC... Step 1: Resident puts plastic in recycling bin and leaves out for collection in a clear plastic bag. Step 2: DSNY brings recyclable to Sims. Step 3: Sims sorts out the different types of recyclables and sells them to converters. Step 4: Converter begins converting or reprocessing material into something new. Step 5: Brands use the newly processed material for their products or packaging. Step 6: The product is sold back to consumers, who hopefully jump back to step one and continue the cycle.
Q: Is plastic actually recycled in NY? Some believe it’s just burned.
A: New York City has an operational curbside recycling program. If the resident places the recyclable plastic in the correct bin, and it is left out in a clear plastic bag for pick up, it will make its way to Sims in Brooklyn where it will be sorted and sold on the recycling market.
Q: What happens to bioplastics (ie PLA, #7)? Are they recycled or composted?
A: If a bio plastic ends up at the recycling facility, it will end up as waste, simply because there is not a current market demand for this type of plastic. If it is a certified BPI compostable plastic, residents may place it into a brown bin with other organics, and it will be sent to an industrial composting facility.
Q: What plastic numbers or types of plastic are able to be recycled in NYC? What about plastic cutlery? plastic straws?
A: In NYC, residents do not have to worry about the numbers or types of plastics. Put all rigid plastic in the blue bin (metal/glass/plastic bin)! Straws are not considered rigid so those go in the trash. Get some reusable ones or give up straws all together!
Q: What is actually happening with plastic bags that are collected at retail points for recycling? Are they collected and recycled?
A: In New York State, stores with 10,000 square feet or more of retail space and chains which operate five or more stores with greater than 5,000 square feet of retail space, and which provide plastic carry out bags to customers, are required to provide collection bins for consumers to recycle certain types of soft plastic. It is then the responsibility of that store to get their collected film to a recycler.
Q: What do I do with my soft plastics?
A: Flexible, foam and film plastics are not recyclable. You can bring single use plastic bags to certain retailers for recycling. However, the best thing to do is avoid purchasing or using film plastics.
Q: List of the plastics like clam shell's that are NOT recyclable?
A: Flexible, foam and film plastics are not recyclable. These include: single-serve food and drink squeezable pouches and tubes such as toothpaste, lotion, cosmetics; sports balls such as basketballs, bowling balls, soccer balls, footballs, yoga balls; any foam products such as foam clamshells; plastic shopping bags and wrappers (clear and colorful). Take a look at the full list of items that can't go in your recycling bin here: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/site/services/recycling/what-to-recycle
Q: After March, will literally every single store in NYC be banned from offering a plastic bag?
A: Yes - with some exceptions, such as a bag used by a pharmacy to carry prescription drugs, produce bags for bulk items such as fruits and vegetables, and restaurant takeout bags. As a consumer, you can aid in protecting our environment by using reusable bags as much as possible. More details on the state plastic ban bag are available here: https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/117781.html
If you see stores still carrying plastic bags that don’t fall into one of the above categories – PLEASE call 311 and report them!
Q: Should we recycle the black rigid plastic (take-out food) if the Sims conveyor belt camera does not see black?
A: New Yorkers should put all rigid plastic in their blue, metal/glass/plastic recycling bins. Since it is hard for the camera to pick up black plastic it’s best to bring your own containers to restaurants when you are taking out.
Q: Does plant based plastic help or hurt the system?
A: Currently, plant-based plastics aren't causing big problems for Sims. However, there is no market for these materials, so we are not sorting for them. If we started receiving large quantities of these plastics, it would increase the amount of waste we receive, which will increase our costs.
Q: Plastic rings from water bottles?
A: Leave them on the plastic bottle. Leave the cap on too! Plastic caps stay on plastic bottles.
Q: When you create a can of small metal pieces or collect small plastic bits in a bottle do they all have to be the same type of metal or plastic?
A: That might not actually be the best idea. If you fill a plastic bottle with pieces of smaller plastic, it will add the weight of the bottle. If the bottle is too heavy, it won't be correctly sorted by our optical scanners and air jets. We use air jets to sort plastics into different categories.
Glass & Metal
Q: What do you do with metal caps from glass water bottles?
A: Residents should remove metal caps from glass bottles and put both the cap and the glass bottle in the blue bin (metal/glass/plastic bin). Metals caps, because of their size, will likely end up in our glass stream. They will continue to our glass plant where they will be sorted out with magnets and reversed magnets. They will then be sold as scrap metal.
Q: Can the city recycle a piece of metal furniture?
A: In New York City, residents may recycle any item made of metal, even bulky items. Metal furniture included!
Q: Is better to buy glass bottles, aluminum, Or plastic?
A: It is better to get a reusable bottle and use that very bottle for the rest of your life!
Q: What happens to glass at the plant? Is it melted or crushed?
A: Sims owns its own glass plant where NYC's recycled glass is sorted by color. The clear glass, called flint, will likely be sold to a bottler and become another glass bottle. Glass that has been dyed a color will likely be used as a construction aggregate.
Paper
Q: Does every shred of paper really get recycled? Not so long ago, the market for recycled paper was really low.
A: Most of New York City's residential paper recycling is processed at a paper mill and box plant in Staten Island, where it becomes cardboard for pizza boxes and delivery boxes.
Q: How to recycle cardboard with plastic lining?
A: Remove plastic lining in order to recycle cardboard.
Q: Can wet paper be recycled? Like old kid art, for example.
A: Craft paper can be recycled even if it becomes wet and dries; heavily soiled paper is not recyclable.
Q: Are boxes with plastic windows recyclable?
A: Yes, paper with small amounts of plastic (such as window envelopes) or staples should go in your paper recycling bin.
Q: Do I need to take the staples out of magazines and other paper items?
A: No, you can recycle stapled paper, but please remove any large metal clips.
Q: Are pizza boxes recyclable? Is it worth cutting out the greasy parts of the pizza box so the remainder gets recycled?
A: Yes, clean pizza boxes can go in your paper recycling bin. You can also separate the clean part of the pizza box and put it in your paper recycling pin. Greasy pizza boxes can go in your brown bin to be composted. If you don't have a brown bin and live in a high-rise apartment, you can request one here: nyc.gov/organics
Q: Is receipt paper recyclable?
A: Yes! Take a look at the full list of items accepted in paper recycling here: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/site/services/recycling/what-to-recycle
Q: Are paper towels recyclable? Or compostable?
A: Food soiled paper is compostable and can go in your brown bin! If you don't have a brown bin and live in a high-rise apartment, you can request one here: nyc.gov/organics
Q: Is it helpful to shred paper?
A: There is no need to shred paper before putting it in your recycling bin, unless it has personal information and you prefer to do so!
Hazardous Waste
Q: SAFE disposal events are great, But, they happen too infrequently and are hard to get to. How can we dispose of hard to recycle items at any time?
A: NYC residents can bring items that can't go out at the curb to SAFE Events or DSNY Household Special Waste Drop-Off Sites. These sites are open from 10 AM to 5 PM every Saturday and the last Friday of the month, and there is one in every borough. See our map here: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/site/services/harmful-products/special-waste-drop-offs
Q: How to dispose of old medical supplies (specifically diabetic supplies that is no longer necessary?) How to dispose of medicines that pharmacies won’t take (like inhalers or liquid medicines)?
A: Generally, unwanted medications should never be flushed down the toilet. In some cases, you can mail back unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medications for safe disposal--ask your pharmacy how to do this. You can also bring used sharps to any hospital or nursing home in New York State. They are required by law to collect used household sharps, including syringes and lancets, with no identification required. Make sure that sharps are packaged safely, and call in advance for drop-off times and instructions. You can bring any other medical waste items to a DSNY SAFE Event.
Q: How do you dispose of batteries? Triple A, double A?
A: Use rechargeable batteries whenever possible. Rechargeable batteries can be used many times, which saves money and reduces waste. All disposable batteries can be brought to a SAFE Disposal Event or to any DSNY Household Special Waste Drop-Off Site
Q: How do you properly dispose of knives?
A: Consider donating your used kitchen items! nyc.gov/donate has more than 100 locations that will accept kitchen item donations. If you must dispose of your knife, wrap it in a protective covering and put it in your blue bin.
Q: How about light bulbs?
A: Double bag for safety and discard as garbage on regular collection day(s).
Coffee Cups
Q: Why doesn’t the city educate consumers that coffee cups are not recyclable?
A: While the City's paper recycling facility can accept paper cups with a waxy lining if cups are empty and clean, paper with heavy wax or plastic coating is not recyclable. Always choose a reusable cup and skip single use cups--whether paper or plastic--to reduce your impact.
Q: How come cartons can be recycled but not coffee cups? Aren’t they similar materials?
A: Cartons can contain up to 80% paper, which is kept clean of all debris and food by the plastic lining. This very "clean" paper makes for very high-quality paper recycling, unlike papers that are exposed to dirt, debris, food waste etc.
Q: What percentage of the waste is coffee cups?
A: Drinking cups (paper and plastic) make up approximately 0.5% of residential waste (that's about 6 tons per day!). Learn more about the composition of NYC's residential waste here: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/site/resources/reports/waste-characterization
Q: Will Starbucks fill a non-Starbucks reusable cup? How do you determine size?
A: Starbucks will give you a ten-fifteen cent cup discount when you bring in your own reusable cup for your beverage. You will be charged for the closest cup size.
Food Scraps/Compost
Q: Is meat cooked in oils compostable?
A: Yes, you put meat and dairy products in your brown bin. DSNY suggests using a clear plastic liner (like for your paper and metal recycling) to help keep your bin clean. Food scraps collected in your brown bin go to an industrial composting facility that can compost meat and dairy. However, if you use a compost "drop-off" site - be sure to check with your individual site. Some food scraps processed locally in community gardens cannot accept meat or dairy.
Q: Can you compost eggs (actual eggs, not just egg shells)
A: Yes, you can compost eggs!
Q: Why doesn’t MTA have compost?
A: New York City has many options for residents to compost, including our "Compost on the Go" drop-off sites that are specifically designed for commuters and located by subway station entrances. Find your nearest drop-off site at nyc.gov/organics.
Home and Business Recycling
Q: Are recycles thrown in trash separated and recycled?
A: No. Residential trash is not sorted in New York City. All trash collected by DSNY is sent to landfills or waste to energy facilities.
Q: Since most people in the city do not recycle, how is garbage sorted and are there smaller companies allowed to buy (bid) and recycle the trash?
A: Residential trash is not sorted in New York City. All trash collected by DSNY is sent to landfills or waste to energy facilities.
Q: Our trash collection at our business says that we don't need to sort our trash, they do it. True or false? How do you confirm your work/home building recycles?
A: Recycling is the law in New York City for businesses and in your home. However, some businesses use "single-stream" recycling (a mix of paper, metals, glass and plastic). Call 311 if you need to report a landlord that is not in compliance with the law.
Q: How can you find out who the waste hauler is in each building or business?
A: All businesses that have commercial carters are required to post a BIC decal in a visible place that lists their carter and collection schedule. Look for the orange and white sticker by the door of your business.
Q: Does NYC do single stream recycling?
A: Currently there is no single stream recycling for residential waste in New York City. However, some businesses use "single-stream" recycling (a mix of paper, metals, glass and plastic).
Q: What's next for curb collection and when will I stop stepping over piles of trash and recycling on the sidewalk?
A: DSNY is exploring new ways to keep the curb and sidewalk clean, and we welcome your suggestions!
Q: How can restaurants be part of the NYC recycling program movement? Since it’s not really looked upon by the health department, so it’s not really followed through on.
A: Recycling is the law in New York City for businesses. In addition, some restaurants are now required to separate food scraps and recycle their organics waste. More information is available at: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/site/services/food-scraps-and-yard-waste-page/commercial-requirements.
There are many resources for restaurants that want to reduce food waste and increase recycling, including on the Foundation for New York's Strongest Food Waste Fair website: at www.foodwastefair.nyc
A good first step for any business is to complete a "waste audit", incentivize staff to reduce waste, and implement best practices to make sorting waste easy and convenient.
Q: How do you teach people at work about recycling?
A:
Make sure there are recycling bins next to every single office trash bin.
Make sure there are clear signs near every single bin stating what may be put into the bin.
Buy everyone coffee and donuts and tell them about the bins and how they may use them.
Bring your office on a tour of Sims Recycling Facility in Brooklyn.
Book a private workshop with Zero Waste NYC!