Comments on: Wait! Are you sure that’s recyclable?

By: What lasts forever? |

What lasts forever? | — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 00:35:30 +0000

[...] another, plastic recycling is misleading. The plastic that actually is recycled is not made into new plastic containers. Usually it is made into a secondary product that then is [...]

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:54:23 +0000

Hi Jason. Do you mean that Tetrapak lists them as recyclable or Stopwaste.org lists them that way? As far as I know, they are not recyclable anywhere in the Bay Area. But the gable-top cartons (milk cartons, for example, that must be refrigerated) can be put in either the recycle bin or the compost bin. At least, that’s the answer I got when I called back when this post was written. Let me know what you learn.

By: jason mahon

jason mahon — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 23:16:12 +0000

re: Tetrapak
I followed a link to tetrapak’s website for locate a place to recycle those units.
http://www.recyclecartons.com/

I happen to know that Tetrapak packaging isn’t recyclable anywhere in Alameda County/Oakland/SF yet they listed them as recyclable. I asked them via the contact us email about this. Still haven’t heard back.

Thanks…

http://Oaklandwaste.wordpress.com

By: Recycle Your Day » Recycle Your Day, America!

Recycle Your Day » Recycle Your Day, America! — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:25:26 +0000

[...] Beth Terry- Fake Plastic Fish (2 part post): Wait! Are you sure that’s recyclable? [...]

By: John Costigane

John Costigane — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:54:48 +0000

Hi Beth,

Tetra Pak are taking back empty packs for reprocessing at their Swedish base which allows Zero Waste enthusiasts in the UK to use them, while avoiding a landfill outcome. The company aims to improve its own systems to achieve sustainability.

How they address the North American situation is a bigger challenge for them.

By: Lora

Lora — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 05:15:00 +0000

Thanks for the info. After a quick search I’ve found that my city accepts “plastic containers or items numbered 1-7″. I can recycle more than I thought! The city I moved here from had stricter rules and I was just following those thoughtlessly. Of course now I’m worried that they are taking the shotgun approach and not actually recycling everything.

By: Fake Plastic Fish

Fake Plastic Fish — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 03:57:00 +0000

Hi Shawn. You can put our BioBags in your green compost bin. That’s what they’re for.

Beth

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:50:00 +0000

Thanks for all the great information on your site.
I am having trouble knowing what to do with bio bags ….compost pile? green bin? recycle bin? I am in Berkeley and the Ecology center website that runs our recycling program does not seem to mention them. Do you happen to have any current info on this?
Thanks
Shawn

By: Crafty Green Poet

Crafty Green Poet — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 07:18:00 +0000

Excellent post, recycling sometimes seems so complicated and in fact is. Here, the thing that saddens me most are the cardboard boxes checked into the waste bins when there’s a cardboard recycling bin next to the waste bin. That shows the level of education needed!

By: Beth in the Fake Plastic Fish Tank

Beth in the Fake Plastic Fish Tank — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 04:25:00 +0000

Oh, and as far as your compost bin goes, I’m not an expert, but I’m pretty sure shredding your pizza box and putting it into your own compost bin would be okay. You just have to make sure you have the proper mix of “green” and “brown” materials, a pizza box being a “brown,” regardless of what color it actually is!