Rockford Recycling Errors Could Raise Garbage Costs

If you’ve ever stood in your kitchen staring at an empty peanut butter jar wondering, “Can this go in the recycling bin?” you are definitely not alone, and soon the confusion could cost us more in Rockford.

Wavebreakmedia Ltd

Common Recycling Mistakes

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that my husband and I get into a disagreement about recycling at least once a week.

Basically, my husband is pretty lax about recycling stuff, while I try to be more careful about it. Honestly, I used to throw anything plastic or paper in the recycling bin, but I've learned in the last couple of years that I had been making some pretty big mistakes.

So, what are the biggest recycling offenders? Here are some common items people wish were recyclable but usually are not.

Pizza boxes - A clean pizza box is good, but a used pizza box covered in grease is very bad.
Plastic shopping bags - All those bags you get from the grocery store jam sorting machines at recycling facilities. Same goes for stretchy items like garden hoses, extension cords, and string lights. Basically, if it tangles, don’t toss it in the recycling bin.
Styrofoam - Long story short, Styrofoam is bulky and inefficient to process since it's made mostly of air.
Food-contaminated items - Any plastic items or glass jars that once contained food or liquid, (example: milk jugs, peanut butter jars) must be rinsed out before being placed in a recycle bin. Food-contaminated jars can harm sorting machines and ruin other recyclable materials.

Ready for the not-so-great news?

Apparently, enough of us in Rockford are making recycling mistakes that the City says garbage pickup costs could rise because of contamination issues.

Recycling Problems in Rockford

Rejected recycle material is a growing problem in Rockford, and if things don't get better soon, it will cost us... literally.

An article from mystateline.com says:

Officials said the growing volume of rejected material means more trips are required to haul waste back from Plainfield to Rockford, increasing disposal costs over time.
City officials estimate roughly 50% of the material in recycling carts is rejected.

The City of Rockford has not said how much disposal costs could go up for city residents if these problems continue, but they did share some pictures of how bad it has gotten:

The biggest takeaway? Recycling is not as simple as “plastic equals recyclable.” Every city, town, and village has different rules, but one thing is for sure: if we all don't start being more mindful about what we put in the recycle bin, our disposal costs will go up.

Here's an important reminder of what can and can not be recycled from the City of Rockford: