As a company in the business of green energy, we’re very aware of the serious problems our environment is faced with. While recycling rates have been increasing along with growing public concern over pollution and landfills, there is much room for improvement. In 2017 alone, there were 267.8 million tons of trash generated – and 139.6 million tons of that ended up in landfills.
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Avoiding single-use plastics and participating in home recycling are a couple of easy ways many Americans contribute to a greener future. Regarding the bags your wood pellets are delivered in, there is more we can do – aside from finding new ways to upcycle them.
Plastics labeled with the recyclable arrows symbol are categorized for acceptance based on your municipality. Find out if your town accepts wood pellet bags, which are low-density polyethylene (LDPE) number 4-coded plastic, for curbside pickup here. If your town does not allow this type of plastic in your blue recycling bin, you don’t have to just throw it away.
Thousands of stores across the country have entryway drop off locations for those plastics not accepted in traditional recycling programs. Like many folks, you have probably walked right past these boxes in places like Target, Walmart and Hannaford without noticing them! Many clean, dry, empty plastics can be brought to these drop boxes, including clean pellet bags, bread bags, dry cleaning bags, shipping air pillows, shopping bags and so much more. To find your local list of drop off locations, enter your zip code here.
Proper recycling can be a challenge due to variations in recycling programs, unclear labeling, and inaccurate recyclability claims. Have you ever seen the How2Recycle symbol on items in your home? The How2Recycle labeling program was created to provide consistent and transparent on-package recycling information, making it easier to know what to do with non-recyclable plastics. Any package that you see with the How2Recycle Store Drop-Off label can be brought to any drop off location.
So what happens to these plastics? Instead of ending up in landfills, these materials are recycled into synthetic lumber for decking, park benches and playground sets. The broken down plastic is also commonly used to make new bags, pallets and containers. Learn more about the entire process and how you can help from the experts at Plastic Film Recycling!
1. Read the manual that came with your stove. According to Jason Tardiff of J&L Chimney Works in NH, this is the number one thing stove technicians wish customers would take seriously. He explains; “Most of the time, the answer to the problem lies in the pages of their owner’s manual.” From proper stove maintenance, to best practices and warranty information – the manual is packed with model-specific information, and it’s very often overlooked.