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Keep the "green" in Greensboro - Here's how you can help


The sustainability industry took an overall hit in Greensboro when policy changed, and the city no longer took glass in recycling. The additional costs to process the glass outweighed the financial benefits from selling it. The cost of processing glass has risen and many municipal centers across the country have begun to no longer take glass to avoid a cut in profits. Glass occupies roughly a quarter of the mass of all recycling in the city, posing new issues in contamination in regular waste disposal.


To ensure your glass is recycled safely, recycling centers that take glass are available in Greensboro at various drop-off locations. Reconsidered Goods, located at 4118 Spring Garden Street, has glass receptacles located on the side of the building. In addition, a Styrofoam recycling trailer is also available at the same location.


Knowing the “do’s and don’ts” of recycling is important with ever-changing policies on waste removal in Greensboro. Here’s a brief list of acceptable things to recycle.


DO’s

Plastic Bottles, Tubs, & Jugs: Recycle all soda, water, sports drinks, shampoo, milk, juice, sour cream, margarine, yogurt, etc. Items should be clean and dry before going into the bin. Remove caps and covers.

Glass Bottles & Jars: Recycle only glass containers that come with food or drink in them. No perfume bottles, light bulbs, windowpanes, glass dishes or cookware. Items should be clean with the caps removed. (Check with your hauler for restrictions.)

All Cans – Aluminum, Tin & Steel : Recycle aluminum beverage cans, tin and steel food cans that are clean. Throw away jagged metal can covers since they can harm people working at the recycling center.

Newspapers: Only clean, dry newspapers can be recycled. Discard wrappers, bags and rubber bands. You may place the newspapers into a brown paper bag before recycling them

Magazines & Junk Mail: Recycle all magazines, catalogs, junk mail and inserts that are clean and dry. Remove all plastic wrappers.

Cardboard: Recycle cardboard that has not been contaminated with food or liquid. Before placing cardboard in your recycling bin, be sure to flatten boxes. Pizza boxes are okay as long as they are not contaminated with food or grease.

Chipboard: Examples include tissue boxes, cereal and other food packaging boxes. Remove and discard box liners and flatten boxes before placing them into your recycling bin.


DON'TS

Unwashed Cardboard and Paper: These materials need to be washed in order to prevent contamination and to ensure safe and efficient reuse of the materials

Separating Materials: There is no need to separate the different types of recycling materials in your bin, sorting centers ensure everything makes it to the correct place

Tissues, Paper Towels, Foil: These items are not to be recycled

Plastic Bags: Don’t put plastic bags in your recycling bins, they are a material that is unrecyclable. Plastic bags can be returned to the grocery store to be recycled into new plastic bags.

Styrofoam: This material is recyclable and can be dropped off a various locations including at Reconsidered Goods.


Looking to repurpose unused items? At Reconsidered Goods, we have our own list of items that we take to repurpose and reuse. Here is our list. Donations can be made Tuesday through Saturday 10:00am to 5:00pm, and Sundays noon to 5:00pm. Reusing is at the core of our values, and we strive to provide the community with a creative and sustainable solution for waste. Visit our resale shop for arts and craft supplies, home goods, jewelry, vintage items, frames, leather, textiles, and a variety of other goods all at affordable prices. You'll soon discover why everyone loves Reconsidered Goods!


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