Recycling plays a huge role in helping the environment. It keeps reusable materials out of landfill sites and they can be repurposed for other uses. Energy is also saved by not having to manufacture these materials as much, immensely reducing harmful emissions released into the atmosphere.
As a result, individuals and businesses need to do their part to recycle whenever possible and the bins used to do so plays a factor in how easy the process can be. Below are factors to consider when choosing recycling containers.
1.What you recycle
Many different materials can be recycled and should be to keep them out of landfill sites. These include paper, plastic, and glass. But not everyone recycles everything that can be reused. Therefore, you need to take into account what you will be recycling.
If you are a larger company, chances are you will be recycling a lot of paper but not as much as plastic. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have larger bins for the paper you want to dispose of and smaller bins for plastic and glass so recycling these materials can be done but bins will not take up as much space. In your household, you may have lots of materials to recycling such as glass bottle, newspaper, cardboard, and food containers.
To ensure you have bins big enough to accommodate all of these items, it is recommended that you go with larger bins. You do not have to get bins for each individual material as cardboard can be mixed with paper and glass can usually be mixed with the plastic.
2. Location
In order to recycle effectively and get the bins you need, you should be conscious of where the bins will be. Otherwise, it may make the process extremely difficult or your bins may stick out like a sore thumb.
If you will be recycling at your residence, typical blue boxes will do as long as they are big enough to hold everything. However, you may want some bins that are more easily accessible in the kitchen of your home. In this case, you need to find bins that will fit nicely into whatever space you designated for this purpose. At businesses and in communities, streamed recycling bins should be considered. These types separate bins by material and have signs on the front educating people on what materials can be recycled and what goes where.
This is beneficial because the easier it is to separate materials, the more likely it will be recycled. These types of bins should be placed strategically such as on streets and in lunch rooms where people will see them and recycle as opposed to throwing eligible items in the trash.
3. Size
After you have taken into account the items that you typically recycle, you need to think about how much of each material you collect. This will largely drive the size of the bins you purchase.
As mentioned, at businesses it is common for lots of paper to be recycled. Therefore, the bins that collect this material should be big enough to hold it all before it is picked up. Overflowing bins look unsightly and if people cannot put what they need to in the bin, they may choose to throw it in the garbage instead. At home, be cognizant of the amount of each item that you collect. For instance, if you collect more plastic and glass than paper, have bigger bins for these. Make sure the bins you purchase can easily be carried to your curb for pick-up. Otherwise you may find yourself dealing with spills and injuries.
