Arlington trash cans this week were decorated with “Recycling Made Simple” pamphlets outlining the four categories of materials that are acceptable in the blue recycling bin.
The list of acceptable items includes mixed paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and containers, aluminum and steel cans.
The list does not include plastic bags and chip wrappers, single use plastics or styrofoam, glass, plastic envelopes or pots or pans. As more stringent requirements have been imposed by foreign markets, glass has been removed from the list of recyclables as well as lower-grade mixed plastics.
Since clean materials are more likely to be processed at the recycling plant, it means that a clean stream of materials translates into a higher percentage of Arlington’s materials to be recycled into new materials.
It also increases the value credited to the County for each ton of processed materials.
What actually makes its way into Arlington’s blue bins? Glass bottles (3.5 percent), metals (5 percent), non-recyclables (9 percent) and paper and cardboard (74.6 percent).
Current data indicates that trash and glass makeup 12.5 percent of the material collected in the blue cart and have no value, but make it harder to recycle.