Ever Wonder Wednesday--Tanglers

Have you ever held up a cord or hose and thought to yourself "this is made of plastic… right, do I recycle it, trash it, or take it somewhere special?" "Tanglers" are a group of items that can damage recycling machinery. Any item that is put in the recycling container that isn't recyclable is called a contaminant. Ropes, wires, hoses, cords, clothes, plastic and cloth sheets, tarps, wire hangers, and plastic bags wrap around our rotating machine parts and not only decrease their ability to sort recycling, but can also break expensive equipment. Folks that work at the Recycling Center must climb into these machines and cut out anything that has gotten tangled by hand--not a super safe task. By separating out objects that cannot hold their shape, you are making safer work environments for lots of people in the recycling industry. If you are unsure if something is a tangler or not, please put it in the landfill-bound bin (or reach out to me and I will help). In summary, make sure that you are landfilling potentially harmful items instead of recycling them. Check out our recycling guide (see picture) for examples of what should and should not be recycled. Recycle Away, Tori   PS--Email me if you would like to share any of my Ever Wonder Wednesday posts in a community or HOA newsletter. I will be happy to share content and images with you. As always, if you have any additional questions about waste reduction, please do not hesitate to private message or email me at recycle@greensboro-nc.gov.