With so much information coming our way every day, it can be difficult to differentiate between true facts and myths, especially when it comes to recycling. SWANCC is here to clarify some of those myths that you may have read or heard about relating to recycling processes. 

One thing we can all agree on is that we produce trash, and a lot of it. Some of that trash goes to landfills. An estimated 30% of food scraps and yard waste (that could have been composted) and 55% of what could have been recycled, end up in landfills.

Statistics aside, why would we go through all the trouble and cost of recycling outreach, collecting recyclable materials, and sorting them in our facilities if we were just going to put it all in the landfill?

Let’s set the record straight…..

RECYCLING MYTH: I thought I saw the garbage truck pick up my recycling!

This could be true. Just like you may use your vehicle to drive family or friends to dinner and a concert, you use the same vehicle to transport flowers and plants from the garden center. Sometimes communities use the same trucks for trash and recycle collection. However, they are not collected in the same load and recyclables are NOT taken to the landfill, they are taken to a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) where they are separated and bailed to sell back to manufacturers for recycling!

RECYCLING MYTH: Material placed in a landfill will decompose.

Two essential components of decomposition are oxygen and moisture. Landfills are designed so that very little oxygen or moisture flows through them. Landfills are not meant to break down trash, but simply to bury it. This design helps prevent decomposing materials from contaminating groundwater.

RECYLING MYTH: Recycling just becomes trash.

Recycling as an industry is NOT a myth. However, truthfully, some materials may eventually end up in the landfill. This is because some material should NOT have been placed into the recycle bin in the first place! In addition, while it is true that contamination can render some materials unfit for recycling, the industry works hard to find markets for materials to be recycled. In fact, it’s such an important piece to the economy, that in 2020, it was declared an essential industry and service by the Department of Homeland Security!

RECYCLING MYTH: It doesn’t matter if something belongs in the recycling cart, the hauler will sort everything anyway.

There are increasing amounts of non-recyclable items sent to Material Recovery Facilities, and all of them must be removed so they don’t contaminate the high-value recyclables. We are not becoming a less wasteful global society, so it has become increasingly challenging to remove all the garbage people toss in with recycle. Non-recyclable items placed in your recycling containers increase the cost of recycling, slow the process, and pose safety risks to employees. Focus on only recycling the most valuable materials – clean and empty bottles, jars, jugs, tubs, cans, paper, and flattened cardboard. All recyclable items must go into your cart loose – NOT IN BAGS of any kind! If you’re not sure whether something is recyclable, throw it in the trash!

What Do Those Symbols Mean?

Everyone thinks they recognize the recycle symbol. Typically, it looks like three arrows chasing each other in the shape of a triangle, but what about all the other versions and symbols? Don't they mean recycle too?

In 1970, the original design of the recycle symbol was created by 23-year-old student, Gary Anderson. He was the winner of the Container Corporation of America’s (CCA) inaugural Earth Day competition. Little did anyone realize that it would become such a commonplace icon of the 21st century!

However, the commonplace, unregulated printing of this symbol has become a problem. This is because when people see what they interpret to be a recycling symbol, they automatically think, “I can recycle this!” and toss the item into the recycling bin. The belief that these emblems mean an item is recyclable is a common misconception.

Just because a circular symbol with arrows is printed on an item, doesn’t mean an item is recyclable in your current system!

It’s mind-blowing and maddening, isn’t it?!

Let’s break it down:

The overall looping design represents circularity. This means keeping materials in the loop to reduce waste. The three chasing arrows represent the concepts of reduce, reuse, and recycle. However, these should be viewed as separate entities:

Reduce: First, do you recognize the amount of waste you produce? Are you actively taking steps to reduce it?

Reuse: Second, are you utilizing the materials you have by reusing them to their maximum potential instead of getting rid of them after one use?

Recycle: Then, LASTLY, consider how to manage the waste you have and ask yourself “Is it appropriate material for the recycle bin?” If not, it MUST go to the landfill.

If you look at the recycle symbol piece by piece, and ask yourself those questions, it makes more sense!

Now, what about those numbers? Aren’t those numbers supposed to tell us if we can put an item into our recycling cart?

The simple answer is NO! Generally, ignore them. There are more than 30 kinds of plastics, with more being developed every day, and our best Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) can usually identify and recover 5 of them. These numbers are called resin codes. They were designed by manufacturers to identify chemistry classifications of plastics, NOT for residents to determine if the item is eligible for the recycling cart.

Yes, this can all be frustrating and sometimes even make us want to give up. It’s important to remember that if you feel this way, you are making it too complex and overburdening yourself. Take a step back and remember to keep it simple. Review the curbside guidelines below, ask yourself the questions listed above, and stick to recycling those items only. Don’t get bogged down in the occasional item you have in hand that is not pictured. If you are uncertain if it’s appropriate material for the recycle bin, then don’t risk contamination by wishcycling. Put it in the trash and keep the value of the truly recyclable material high.

As the world comes to terms with the growing amounts of waste generated every day, understanding what can and can’t be recycled is increasingly important. Not only do we need to divert more waste away from landfills, but we also need to keep materials in the loop for as long as possible so that we can reduce our reliance on virgin materials and avoid the environmental impacts associated with extracting them.

Electric does NOT mean Electronic!

This may sound like another case of Tomayto, tomahto and potayto, potahto. However, electric and electronic devices are quite different and commonly confused.

All electronics are electrical, but not all electrical systems are electronic. The distinction between the two comes down to how devices manipulate electricity to do their work.

Typically, if something uses electricity as energy, it is electric. If it uses electricity for manipulating information, it is electronic.

Electrical devices take the energy of electric current and transform it into a form of energy such as light, heat, or motion. For example, the heating elements in a toaster turn electrical energy into heat so you can toast your bread. Likewise, the motor in your vacuum cleaner turns electrical energy into motion that drives a pump to suck up the toast crumbs that fall into your carpet.

In contrast, electronic devices do much more. Instead of just converting electrical energy into heat, light, or motion, electronic devices are designed to manipulate the electrical current itself and coax it into doing interesting and useful things. For example, electronic devices can add sound information to an electric current so that you can listen to music or talk on a cellphone and video devices add images to an electric current so you can watch movies.

As technology advances the distinction between electric and electronic becomes blurry. For example, a run of the mill toaster versus a toaster that lets you program an image to burn into the toast and then sends you an email when the toast is done. While this example is laughable it highlights that blurry line.

So why is it important to distinguish the difference? SWANCC receives a plethora of calls questioning if an item is accepted into our electronic recycling program. Most often the items in question (such as toasters, coffee makers, lamps, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, hairdryers, mixers, blenders, stereo equipment, etc.) are not electronic at all, but instead electric.

Electric items do have value to recycle (but can NOT go into your curbside recycle bin). They can often go to a special collection point where the valuable materials will be separated and recycled. When recycling or scrapping is not an option, they may be accepted by your hauler in weekly collections and can safely be sent to the landfill.

In 2012, Illinois adopted legislation that prohibits landfilling of "Covered and Eligible Electronic Devices". Thus, the electronics accepted into SWANCC's program are limited to the IEPA accepted items. Check the Electronics Recycling page on our website for details. Other electronic devices not on this list are also important to recycle but must be done through other special collection options.

Electric or electronic - if it not accepted into SWANCC's program here are some resources for recycling:

SWANCC's digital Reuse and Recycling Directory

Elgin Recycling, located in Arlington Heights. (847) 741-4100

Com2 Recycling Solutions

ABT Electronics

Local Best Buy Stores

Metals are elements that start out as rocks called ores. It takes a lot of energy to mine, grind, and heat them to get the parts we want. This process is very energy intensive and invasive to our Earth. To reduce this environmental impact, recycling metals is important.

However, NOT all metal can go into your curbside recycling cart! The only metals accepted curbside are clean aluminum and steel food-based items. These items include steel soup, vegetable, and pet food cans. Also accepted are aluminum beverage cans, foil, and other disposable aluminum cooking tins.

It’s important to remember that most recycling facilities are designed to capture items disposed of with regularity. So, aside from the steel and aluminum items mentioned above, other metals cannot be recycled curbside. This is because it is unlikely to be identified and sorted properly, and because of the danger it poses to the recycling workers and automated sorting machinery. While magnets and sorters may capture some items, small parts and sharp objects can be hidden. This contributes to dangerous work conditions and contamination.

Items that are not food related containers are considered "scrap metal”. These metals include copper, steel, brass, and iron. Examples of these scrap metals include lawn mowers, snow blowers, metal grills, bicycles, cast iron sinks/bathtubs, metal fencing, metal car parts, furniture, chains, etc.

Generally, there are two options for recycling scrap metal:

• Option 1: Bring your unwanted metals to a local scrap metal recycler. It’s always a good idea to call first to check availability.
• Option 2: If you do not have a way to transport scrap metal to a recycling facility, call your garbage hauler or a scrap metal recycler to see if they offer local pickup.

A helpful app to locate a scrapyard near you is the iScrap App.