Formed in 2009, the Archive Team (not to be confused with the archive.org Archive-It Team) is a rogue archivist collective dedicated to saving copies of rapidly dying or deleted websites for the sake of history and digital heritage. The group is 100% composed of volunteers and interested parties, and has expanded into a large amount of related projects for saving online and digital history.
Task Master: Recyling
Recycling might feel like the most virtuous thing, but really, it’s the second most virtuous thing. The first would be buying and using less from the start. But we get it; you’ve got a life and a family to juggle and trash happens. The good news is that almost everything can be reused or recycled in some way. Here’s how to deal with getting all of it out the door and keeping it out of the landfill.
Wash. Your. Recyclables.
Rules vary from state to state, but the general principle is to rinse items with soap and water to remove any leftover food or drink. Do a little research on recycling in your area. Your town’s website should list what they’ll accept and how and where to dispose of it.
RELATED: Why You Should Compost at Home
Plastic grocery bags take between 15 and 1,000 years to decompose. Motivated?
What Does “Single Stream” Mean?
Essentially, it means you have no excuse not to recycle, because as long as you can get it in the bin—be it newspaper, catalogs, beer cans, OJ cartons, aluminum foil—and out to the curb, everything will be sorted mechanically at the recycling facility (think the last act of Toy Story 3). But the trade-off for its simplicity is that mechanized mass sorting tends to yield less recycled material.
RELATED: Are "Compostable" Products Really Better For the Planet?
Most Popular Recyclables: Tips!
(Did we mention washing them out first? Do that!)
- Aluminum cans Leave the tabs on and don’t crush them, since intact cans are easier to sort.
- Plastic bottles and jugs As a general rule, remove the caps. If you live somewhere that requires sorting of metals, plastics and glass, metal lids go with your cans.
- Plastic bags and plastic wrap Most of these—including grocery bags, plastic mailers and shrink wrap—can be dropped off in collection bins at supermarkets. Do not include them in your curbside bin.
- Newspaper, books, magazines, catalogs, envelopes First, check if your local library or Goodwill will take your books. If not, be sure to remove the covers and spines of hardcover books with a utility knife before putting them out.
- Cardboard Boxes with food stains (like greasy pizza splotches) or water damage will not be accepted, so cut away the stained sections, but feel free to leave tape.
- Paper Rather than shredding, which makes paper less recyclable, use black marker to cover sensitive info. Do your best to remove tape and staples.
- Glass bottles Remove metal caps and corks, and do your very best not to break any glass.
Curbside vs Drop-Off
Lots of communities have curbside recycling (using those big blue bins). Generally, municipalities accept certain paper and plastics, aluminum and glass products. Some programs accept items in plastic bags, but ideally, you should toss recyclables right in the bin, since plastic bags can jam the machinery at processing facilities. Drop-off programs, either privately or publicly funded, handle items not accepted at large facilities, such as plastic bags, scrap metal and electronics.
TerraCycle Can Recycle That!
For items you’re at a loss over, like power cords and coffee pods, order a Zero Waste Box from TerraCycle.com. All you have to do is pack up their box with your recyclable waste, send it in and they’ll do the rest (from $32). They even recycle cigarette butts and used chewing gum.
Get the Fam Involved
Sue Kauffman of TerraCycle recommends placing separate recycling bins in rooms where a certain type of waste accumulates (such as the kitchen, for grocery bags), so you don’t have to sort later. Your kids can also round up their old gaming equipment, phones and electronics to be recycled (usually at a drop-off site that accepts electronics).
RELATED: What the Recycling Symbol on a Plastic Container Can Tell You About Its Potential Dangers
The Numbers Game
On the bottom of every plastic container—from marinara jars to body lotion bottles to detergent jugs—there’s a little number stamped inside a recycling triangle. This indicates the class of plastic and lets you know how it should be recycled. Most municipalities will recycle #1 and #2 plastics, meaning things like soda bottles and peanut butter jars (#1) as well as milk jugs and shampoo bottles (#2). Head to earth911.com for the complete lowdown on how to recycle each kind of plastic.
