15
Recycling With
Your Compactor
Organizing the recycling workspace
Convenient recycle bins are made to fit in the compactor
drawer. These bins, as well as plastic compactor bags,
can be purchased in a variety of colors at hardware
stores and supermarkets.
Set up a system of color-coded bags in an area chosen
for processing recyclables. Each color can represent a
category of recyclable items, based on types specified by
your recycling program.
Separate recyclable items from nonrecyclable items:
• Recyclable items can be sorted using the color-coded
bags. Prepare items according to guidelines provided
by your recycling program.
• Nonrecyclable items should be compacted because
compaction reduces trash volume to its original size:
four bags of trash can be compacted into one bag.
This contributes to reducing landfill volume and related
waste transportation burdens.
REMEMBER:
Do not expect items which contain
minimal air, such as folded newspapers, to compact
significantly.
Compacting recyclable items
Most recycling programs want the consumer to crush or
flatten recyclable items such as plastics, cans, and
paperboard. Compacting recyclable items consolidates
volume and thereby reduces transportation costs—and
also helps manage recycling workspace more effectively.
The compactor is ideal for such a task.
When a plastic bag is full enough to require compacting,
place the bag in the drawer as shown in “Installing a new
bag.” Then follow instructions in “Using Your Compactor.”
When the compacting cycle is complete, remove the plastic
bag as shown in “Removing a filled bag” and return it to
storage until it is full enough to recycle.
Remember, compacting both recyclables
and nonrecyclables means less solid waste
and waste transportation costs—and a
better environment for all.
Reduce – Reuse – Recycle
A compactor makes recycling and landfill reduction
efforts more effective and efficient.
Here’s how:
Recycling guidelines
Contact your community recycling program or local recy-
cling organizations to find out which items are accepted
for recycling and how they should be prepared and orga-
nized. These programs will provide essential recycling
guidelines:
• Method and frequency of collection—curbside collec-
tions and drop-off centers.
• Categories of recyclable items, and how to distin-
guish between them. Plastic containers are identified
by codes on the bottom. Sort by the numbers inside the
triangular arrows. For example, most plastic soda bot-
tles and some cleaning bottles have code 1; most milk
and water jugs, laundry and personal hygiene product
containers have code 2. Paper and cardboard contain-
ers (paperboard) also have recycle symbols to indicate
a container is recyclable.
• Preparations of recyclable items.
Most recycling programs provide specific guidelines on
preparation. For example, aluminum cans and plastic
containers need to be rinsed out, lids removed, but
often labels can be left on.
IMPORTANT:
• Some items, such as glass, should not be compacted.
• Most recycling programs will not accept crushed glass.
• Check with your recycling program for specific
guidelines on preparing recyclables.
These codes indicate which type of plastic was
used in manufacturing the container. Your recycling
program will confirm which codes are accepted for
recycling.
Plastics with this symbol cannot be
recycled.
Items with this symbol can be recycled or
were made from recycled materials.
1
PETE
2
HDPE
3
V
4
LDPE
5
PP
6
PS
7
OTHER
