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We’ve all been wondering if containers should be rinsed out before being recycled or if we can toss our empty cereal liner with the rest of the recyclables. Read on to find straight-forward answers to those lingering questions about recycling. 
To rinse or not to rinse?
For many of us, that is the question! We’ve heard or been told that containers should be rinsed out. The truth is it’s not required, but it sure helps prevent bugs, odors, and sticky residue from getting into recycling bins (think of the people who will be sorting out your recycling). So it’s up to you whether you want to take the time (and use water) to rinse out your plastic milk jug. To use as little water as possible during the rinse, try soaking. But feel good knowing that that very jug will be recycled by companies such as Green Toys, Inc. A California toy company, they only use milk jugs to create their plastic cookware and dining sets, beach toys, jump ropes and many more. As for the colors, they use special plastics colorants which, they say, are all food grade and meet FDA requirements for use in food packaging.
Can I recycle my old plastic shower curtain and other PVC-made items?
No. PVC (Vinyl) – made items, such as shower curtain, credit and memberships cards, simply cannot be recycled (too difficult and too expensive). PVC recycling code is # 3.
Can I Recycle plastic wrap? Can I recycle pizza boxes? What Can I NOT Recycle?
This is where JustLiveGreener can no longer give you a straight-forward answer, because it depends on where you live: what state, what county, and within that county, whether you live in an incorporated area or not. For example, in the unincorporated areas of the County of Los Angeles such as Marina del Rey or East Los Angeles, people (about 1 million) cannot put books or aerosol cans in their blue recycling bins. But in neighboring city Santa Monica, books are recycled and in Culver City , aerosol cans are too. So this is where you get a headache, and this is where you feel you are on your own. But there are ways to find out: do a search on line (type in recycling guidelines followed by the name of your city) or call the number on your recycling bin. Why isn’t it simpler? Because local programs aren’t created equal and some of them don’t have facilities to handle certain types of plastic, paper or aluminum.
About plastic packaging
When it comes to plastic packaging, be aware that there is an alternative to convenient curbside recycling. Stores such as Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Longs, Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, and many more have collection boxes for grocery plastic bags, and will also accept bread bags, cereal box liners, diaper wrap packaging, produce bags, zip lock bags (without the hard components- just cut those off), and anything else that will fit in your grocery bag. Make sure it is dry.
In the end, recycling heavily depends on individual efforts, but it is so worth it!
About Styrofoam
Some areas recycle it, some don’t. But the best is to simply make sure it never finds its way in your home. In fact, there is a whole war in California against Styrofoam (also known as polystyrene or PS with a # 6 recycling logo), as it is not biodegradable, emits greenhouse gases and dioxins when manufactured and kills countless wildlife who mistakes it for food. You can do more by starting a Styro-Strike through Environment California: check out environmentcalifornia.org for more details.
Styrofoam has many shapes and colors: it is in CD and DVD cases, plastic cutlery, rulers and more.
A few tips to help shrink the volume of recyclables and trash:
- Invest in quality reusable containers to store leftover foods, such as Pyrex containers (made of glass). That way, you will not use wasteful foil and/or plastic wrap.
- Use sponges, micro-fiber cloths and rags instead of paper towels
- Think before you purchase. Consider all the packaging that the object of your desire comes with and act accordingly.
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It might be that they don't recycle it but they may still want to collect it to avoid going in landfills.