People can also contact those programs for out-of-date TVs. There are also specialized e-waste recycling programs. There are mail-back programs for some batteries and products. Walters said never put things like tablets or smartphones into the recycling bin. There's a lot of paper and cardboard that's a great fuel source for a fire to get out of hand.' 'These lithium-ion batteries are probably the single most scary thing that we see come through our recycling centers but also our transfer stations and ultimately to the landfill,' Walters said, 'If they crack, if they puncture, they get oxygen to them and fires start and these fires are very significant, especially when you think about the composition of the material at a recycling center. Walters and Pike said electronics with lithium-ion batteries or rechargeable batteries need to be taken to special drop-off points that specifically takeВ in e-waste. Regular alkalineВ batteries can't be recycled either but they can be put in the trash. Walters said consumers need to make better choices about packaging like picking products with less packaging, choosing products in recyclable packaging, and using reusable grocery bags.ДЄnother thing that is not only not recyclable but is actually dangerous is lithium-ion batteries. 'It creates a number of challenges at the recycling center and I would say, universally, flexible plastics are probably the number one problem that we have at any of our recycling centers across the nation,' he said. In fact, they are a big problem at the recycling plant. Plastics that are flexible like plastic shopping bags, plastic wrap for food storage, the plastic film that some products are wrapped in, or bubble wrap and other packing materials are NOT recyclable.

Republic Services takes plastics that areВ stamped with a 1, 2 or 5. Walters said rigidВ plasticВ containers like milk jugs and water bottles can be recycled. One of the biggest questions about what can be recycled and what can't is plastics. They don't have to perfectly spotlessВ but giving them a rinseВ helps. She also advises people to rinse out recyclable plastics and glass jars. Pike said if there is no grease on the top of the pizza box you can pull it apart and recycle that part. 'Any paper product that's covered in food or grease or anything that can mold or be stinky needs to go in the landfill or your compost bin,' she said. Tara Pike is the sustainability coordinator at UNLV, and she deals with a lot of pizza boxes on campus. They are usually heavy-duty cardboard, but they're also usually covered in grease and food scraps. Pizza boxes are a great example of the recycling problem.

The survey by Republic ServicesВ also found about one-fourth of respondents said they donвЂ™t understand what can and canвЂ™ t be recycled.Д®ssentially, paper, cardboard,В aluminum, and glass can be recycled, butВ styrofoam, wax-covered cardboard, yard clippings and food scraps can not. However, the upside is people are now shifting to more sustainable choices because of that awareness.Д«ut there are still challenges to recycling, and Nevada is still below the nationalВ average when it comes to recycling. Now that a lot of people are working from home or are home a lot more, Walters said, they're starting to see just how much trash they're creating.

Republic services recycle