Recycling

RECYCLING: HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW? A QUIZ TO TEST YOUR WITS

ROCÍO TEACHERPractical English 2 Bach

Where would you place a disposable cup?

In the plastic bin

QUESTION 1 OF 5

It does not matter

In the paper bin

Click on the right answer to read why

Answer to question 1

Correct!

Your disposable coffee cup might seem like it can be recycled, but most single-use cups are lined with a fine film of polyethylene, which makes the cups liquid-proof but also difficult and expensive to reprocess (because the materials have to be separated). Most waste management facilities will treat the cups as trash. If you’re putting these cups in with your recycling, they are likely contaminating the rest of the materials, said Jim Ace, a senior campaigner at Stand.earth, an environmental group. In an experiment this year, the group affixed electronic trackers inside Starbucks cups, put the cups in recycling bins in Denver, then traced them to a landfill. “There’s no way a consumer would know if a cup was lined,” Mr. Ace said, so it’s best to throw it away. (You can also check if your local recycler has special equipment to handle coffee cups; some do, a Starbucks spokeswoman said. The New York City Department of Sanitation says it accepts “paper cups with non-paper lining.”) ​​The plastic lid might be recyclable.

Where does a greasy pizza box go?

To the rubbish bin

Quetion 2 of 5

Who cares?

To the paper bin

Click on the right answer to see why

Yeah!

Answer to question 2

Nope

Nope

Pizza boxes are among the most common offenders when it comes to contamination, waste managers say. The problem is that oil often seeps into the cardboard. The oil cannot be separated from the fiber, making that material less valuable, and less marketable, to buyers. But that’s not to say you can never recycle a pizza box, said Marjorie Griek, executive director of the National Recycling Coalition, which promotes recycling in the United States. “If you’ve got a few crumbs in there, that’s not an issue,” she said. Pizza boxes with “small amounts of grease” are O.K. to recycle in New York City, a sanitation department spokeswoman said. If the grease seeps through the cardboard, the box should be put in a composting bin or thrown out, she said. ​​Remember, there are also two sides to a pizza box. If there’s a side that’s not oily, tear that off and recycle it.

What about oily takeout containers?

In the rubbish.

Question 3 of 5

Who cares?

Plastic bins

Click to see why

Wrong

Answer to question 3

You don't care?

Right!

Even if a container is labeled correctly for recycling in your area, another contamination culprit is food residue: scraps of pad thai in a plastic tray, or those few drops of bad milk at the bottom of the jug. ​​Washing out food scraps from recyclables can be just as important as putting the right thing in the recycling bin, said Jackie Lang, a spokeswoman for Waste Management in Oregon. You don’t have to scrub containers until they are sparkling clean — that could waste water. But too many scraps of food and liquid can contaminate a load, which could then be sent to a landfill, Ms. Lang said. As much as possible, “keep food and liquids out,” she said.

Is it advisable to recycle putting our plastics in a plastic box?

Question 4 out of 5

Click on the answer to see why

Wrong

Answer to Question 4

Right Answer

Wrong

If you have a trash chute in your building, or a long walk down to the recycling bin, you might have gotten into the habit of collecting your paper, plastics and glass in used plastic bags, but it’s important to note that the bags themselves should not be put in the recycling cart. While we might wish that plastic bags — notorious for dissolving into microplastics and killing wildlife — could be sent to processors with our other recycling, they shouldn’t be. They create a nightmare for waste managers by plugging up machinery. So remember to dump your recyclables out of the plastic bag when putting them in the recycling bin. Some areas do offer plastic bag drop-offs, which send these nonrigid plastics to special facilities for recycling. Other cities and states have moved to tax, limit or ban the use of plastic bags altogether.

And now a smelly question: Where do we put nappies?

Question 5 out of 5

Click again to see why on the baby

Wrong

Answer to question 5

Wrong

Right

O.K., we’re not accusing you of attempting to recycle used diapers. But people out there are trying. Waste managers around the United States say they turn up at their recycling facilities often. In some cases, people might think that a diaper should be recyclable because it is mostly made of plastic, said Garry Penning, a spokesman for Rogue Disposal and Recycling, which operates throughout Oregon. But diapers are made of a number of materials, and usually more than one type of plastic. Of course, once they are used, they are also filled with human waste. In other cases, Mr. Penning said, the recycling bin has simply become “the overflow for the garbage pail.” While there have been some attempts at diaper recycling, for the most part dirty one-use diapers are not considered recyclable and are best put straight in the trash.

Results

You should consider doing something for your planet. There is no planet B

0 right

You are a novice to recycling. However, you should do something else

1-2 right

Good! You are on the right path. However, more can be done.

3-4 right

Perfect! Try to convice others, as there is no other option for us.

5 right