Dakota County Master Recycler/Composter

The A, B, Ease of Curbside Recycling plastic containers.

We have been sending two cans out to the curb on garbage day for a while now. <<Yay us!>> I think it is a good time to remember why (and how) we do this. When we recycle, we are trying to create A Better Environment. It is true. Honest ABE.

The point of all the bolded letters is for me to share with you some mnemonics I have discovered that help me to remember what is supposed to go in that recycling bin. First, we must reminisce about those secret code messages we would use when we did not want our parents (or teachers) to know what our note said. Let us take a walk down memory lane…. ABCDE F G H I 12345 6789 We all remember these, right? Now, this is where it gets fun. A Better E n vironment 1 2 3 4 5 6789 We see that the A lines up with 1, the B lines up with 2, and the E lines up with 5. It works the same with ‘Honest ABE,’ we see the numbers to remember are 1, 2, and 5.

The Point: When we recycle plastics in our curbside bins, the plastic containers should have a 1, a 2, or a 5 written inside that triangle shape on the bottom of the container. Any other numbers must go in your regular trash.

..Rinse out the containers, please. Not dishwasher – just ¼ cup water, cover, shake, empty.

..Put the lids back ON your containers.

..Wit the used container all sealed up, NOW is a good time to double check for the 1,2,5. I only mention this because of a few “incidents” I’ve had in my kitchen when I try to look at the bottom of my open-top container. It is messy. Please learn from my mistake.

When Recycling cans, glass bottles and 1,2,5 (ABE)-stamped plastic containers, remember.

GO LOCO Gunk chunks Out L a b e l s Okay Covers On