The 15 mistakes of recycling

You all know the basics, i.e. what are these things that we have to throw in the blue bins. But do you know the details that make the difference? What are we doing wrong when we throw our trash in the blue bins?

1. Broken glasses. Glass packaging is recycled, but broken glasses are not. The reason is that, as the sorting in the centers is usually done by hand, there is a serious risk of injury to the workers. This means that if a glass or bottle breaks, we don't throw it in the blue bins, but in the public.

2. Pizza boxes, ready-to-eat packages. Pizza boxes are made of cardboard, so you might think they are recyclable. But when we throw them away, they are full of oils and fats. In fact, no matter how much we try to clean them, this is not done completely, as there are always residues, while the cardboard itself looks like it has been "watered". Therefore, not only are they not recycled, but they create a problem in the separation process (a dirty mass is formed). We do the same with ready-made food packaging.

3. Biodegradable or photodegradable bags. They look like regular plastic bags, but they are not the same. While ordinary plastic bags can be recycled and made into plastic film, biodegradable or photodegradable ones, which are mainly available from supermarkets, have an expiry date and at some point they start to decompose. Therefore, they are not recycled. Also, there is a chance that their decomposition process will start while they are in the blue bins or at the recycling sorting center, creating many tiny pieces, which contribute to the creation of a garbage slurry, which makes recycling difficult.

4. Pieces of paper. The blue bin system cannot handle pieces of paper smaller than an A4 page. This means that torn pages, tickets and other papers should not be thrown into the blue bins, because they create a paper residue that makes the whole process more time-consuming.

5. Wet or soiled paper. Soiled napkins or pieces of oiled paper are not only not recycled, but also make other recyclable materials useless. Wet paper is also unsuitable for recycling, even when it dries, because the fibers of the paper "collect" when wet. In the blue bins it is good not to put kitchen paper and toilet paper, even if they are clean.

6. Styrofoam and Styrofoam. Both are highly flammable materials, as they can catch fire at any stage of the recycling process. Therefore, throwing them in the blue bins creates problems.

7. Clay materials. Many everyday items are ceramic, meaning they come from baked clay, such as the old coffee mugs we replace. However, they should not be thrown in the blue bin, because recycling them is not an easy task at all.

8. CDs, DVDs and videocassettes. Although made primarily of aluminum, our digital discs or old videotapes contain many impurities, making them impossible to recycle immediately. The same applies to videocassettes (the ones that are left), since, in addition to the plastic casing, they also contain the film, which is not recycled. If we want to recycle them, we should send them to Anakiklosi S.A., Komotini Industrial Area (T/25310-58.100), or deliver them to the Eurosun company (SANYO Building, 12th km of the Athens-Lamia highway, Metamorfosi ).

9. Packaging of toxic materials. Plastic or metal packaging, which contained mineral oils, antifreeze, insecticides, etc., must not be thrown into the blue bins, because the toxic residues are difficult to remove.

10. Plastic furniture. Blue recycling bins are not suitable for plastic furniture, only packaging materials. Bulky plastic items, which often contain other materials, must be directed to the bulky item collection centers that each municipality must have.

11. Straws and plastic cutlery. Although plastic, these particular single-use materials are not easily managed and recycled by recycling systems.

12. Wire hangers. Most of them also have plastic parts, with the result that there is a risk of mixing the two materials. In order not to complicate the recycling process, we either separate the wire from the plastic or throw them in the common garbage bins.

13. Calling cards. They are therefore not considered packaging and should not be placed in the blue bins. After all, their recycling cost is higher than the production cost, which is why the only solution is reuse (eg decorative materials and toys).

14. Juice boxes. There are some juice boxes that are not recycled due to the combination of plastic and cardboard. Before we throw it in the blue bin, we have to check if it has the special marking of suitability for recycling.

15. Plastic bottle caps. While plastic bottles are a basic recyclable material, their caps are recycled in a different way. So we have to remove them and throw them separately in the blue bin.

SOS: We never throw common garbage in the blue recycling bins.

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