5 Reasons Why It’s Important To Empty Your Garbage Recycle Bin

by Trash Cans Depot June 09, 2021

Almost everyone knows when is the trash collection day in their locality. They make sure their household waste is at the curbside ready for the collection truck. But, do you think about emptying your garbage recycle bin so often? Most people will say no to this.

In general, the recycle bin is not emptied as many times as the regular trash bin. But, it is important that you clear your recycle trash can at steady intervals. One of the main reasons for regular disposal is to keep your home clean and free of any germs. Apart from this, you can find some of the other reasons below.

Why Should You Empty the Recycle Bin?

You will have a specific cleaning method for your garbage cans. Likewise, you should follow a proper emptying process for the recycling receptacles. The reasons for sticking to a good disposal system for recyclable items are manifold. Here are the main reasons why you should take care of regular recycle bin emptying.

Reason #1: Keeps Away Pests

You should not leave any food residue in items that you throw away. This is because food residue in the bin can cause the following:

When you dispose of items with food in them, they attract all kinds of pests.
Critters and bugs result in a foul smell.
Rodents, flies, cockroaches, etc. act as germ distribution systems.
If left as such, you will find maggots and other unwanted critters in the recycle bin. These are gross to look at. Pests carry a health risk too.
You are in danger of coming in contact with harmful bacteria when you empty the bin. There is also a possibility of reintroducing germs into your house.
Inhaling the foul smell can trigger allergic reactions. Most often, people with asthma and other allergic conditions can suffer.

Thus, you need to take proper care in keeping recycle bins tidy.

Here are some steps that can help you:

Clean the recyclable food cartons before you throw them in the bin.
Clean the recycle bin after you empty it. This will keep the bin free of disease-causing germs.

Regular Cleaning of the Bin

Make sure the receptacle is double lined and washed at least once a week.
Use a disinfectant to clean the recycle receptacle. If you have a metal trash bin, avoid using harsh cleaning agents. These can erode the metal. A simple solution of water and soap is enough to keep the metal bins clean.
If the recycle bin leaks, it is best to replace it. Leaks are due to a damaged bin and this happens when you use the container for a long time. So, inspect the bins and replace them with a new one if you find any leaks or other damages.
When you buy good-grade stainless kitchen garbage cans, you get many benefits. The cleaning and drying are easy. You need not worry about leaks or dents in the bin.
Another way to keep the recycling bins clean is to use a liner. But, make sure you do not dispose of the liner with the items. The liners help to keep the bin clean. You will not need to clean the container often.
If you keep the recycling cans outdoors, use one with a drain. The drain helps to let all the rainwater out. It prevents the water from getting stored in the bottom. If holes are not present in the bins, drill a few to ensure the water inside drains out.

Reason #2: Helps Save Natural Resources

You can save natural resources by recycling. The process helps to reduce a big chunk of material waste. Here are some ways in which you can save resources.

Plastic is made from oil products. By recycling plastic, you reduce the need to drill more oil. Likewise, you can reduce aluminum mining by recycling the cans.
The energy needed for recycling is less than creating an item from scratch. So, you spend less water and energy. When you recycle aluminum cans, it saves 95% of the energy you need for making the item from virgin aluminum.
Likewise, you save energy by recycling newspapers and office paper. There is another benefit of saving landfill space. The savings apply to the recycling of steel, plastic, and glass.
When you recycle paper and wood, you save trees and forests. With plastic recycling, you can reduce the use of fossil fuels. In metal recycling, you can avoid mining the new metal. Since this is expensive and risky, the advantages are more. In glass recycling, you reduce the use of raw materials like sand.

With regular emptying of the recycle bin, you can provide the material for recycling. You get to reduce the clutter in your home. Most of the items for recycling take up more space. So, it is wise to invest in good stainless steel kitchen trash can models. Make use of the bins with more than one stream to sort the items with ease.

Reason #3: Saves Money

Landfill spaces are shrinking more and more. As a result, sending waste there is expensive. When you recycle properly, you can avoid the expense. Good sorting and regular emptying are two important ways you can save money.

To know how to sort, you have to first know about the collection of recycling materials. Cardboard and paper go into a separate container. Plastic, cartons, and metal go into a different one. This type of collection is called a multi-stream collection. The collection truck has separate compartments for the materials. This makes it easy to unload and process them.

Here are a few tips for proper sorting of trash and emptying the recycle bin:

Use a reusable bag or a blue box for items like cardboard and paper.
Flatten the cardboard boxes so you can fit more items inside the container.
Plastic and metal items are best placed in a box.
Make sure the containers are free of food or other supplies. You can rinse them before disposing of them.
Keep the aerosol containers empty.
Avoid stuffing the items into containers. This makes it difficult to sort them.
If the recycle container overflows, use extra recycling bins. Or, try multi-stream recycle bins. You can use the Ex Cell Kaiser steel bin, which is a three steam recycling bin.

Reason #4: Reduces Pollution

When you take up a recycling program, it is beneficial to the surroundings. The various ways this is made possible include:

Regular recycling collection results in less amount of regular trash. There will be less burning of the disposed of waste. The burning of fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal generates high energy.
With recycling, the demand for power is low. This results in improved air quality.
Due to recycled material use, the need for making items from scratch is no longer a driving force. For instance, paper recycling causes less pollution when compared to using raw materials.
You can reduce the water pollution caused by not recycling. Recycling involves the use of materials to make items that match the original item. So, with recycling, the number of newly made products reduces. This results in less use of water.
Furthermore, the plastic that ends in the trash causes pollution in the ocean. By recycling the plastics, you can reduce the new plastic items you use.
Landfills contain lead, mercury, and other toxic waste. Such landfills pose a great danger to the local water sources. The toxins from the metal waste enter the groundwater and infect people.
You can pollute the land also when you don’t recycle.
Landfills form the obvious choice for getting rid of your trash. But, landfills are not large enough to accommodate the amount they take in. When the waste is held for a long time, it can pollute the land.

To prevent polluting the air you breathe and the water you drink, proper recycling is vital. It is wise to use durable stainless steel trash garbage cans. The trash containers help you make sure that the water and air around you are free of toxicity. Recycling also reduces the trash you dispose of and the waste amount ending up in landfills.

Reason #5: Keeps Your Home Neat and Tidy

Have you noticed how recyclable items take up a big chunk of space in your kitchen or yard? Many people do not recycle as they find it easy to dump everything in a single can.

But, emptying a recycle bin helps you keep your home and office free of clutter. You have to choose the right type of plastic or metal garbage bin for this purpose.

A suitable stainless steel garbage can for recycling makes it easy to sort your trash. So, you need not worry about the cardboard, plastic, etc. cluttering up your yard or home.

In the first place, recycling can prevent one key issue. It will take care of the frequent overflowing bin problem for you. With a separate bin for recyclable items, the trash you dispose of reduces.

Proper sorting of the items will ensure the collection truck does not reject them. Regular emptying of the bin will help you get rid of unwanted items. Such items take up much-needed space.

Some Recycling Tips to Ensure You Do It Right

Use labeled garbage recycle bins. The labels will make it easy for everyone to dispose of the right items in the receptacle. You can find cans with labels printed on them. Some containers have customizable options for labeling. This allows you to add the labels you need.
Avoid disposing of food, straws, and liquids in the recycle bin. The food residue contaminates the recyclable items making them unusable. You can compost the food and paper soiled by food whenever possible.
Do not use plastic bags to collect the recyclables. The bags hamper the processing of the recycling items and make the process expensive. Use a plastic or metal garbage can for collecting the items you want to recycle.
Do you use a plastic bag to line your stainless-steel kitchen trash recycle bin? If yes, empty the items into a dumpster or cart and take back the plastic bag. You can throw it in the garbage bin or reuse it.
Avoid disposing of items such as aluminum foil in the bin. This is because it’s a single-use item. You can avoid throwing away all single-use items. This applies to metal or plastic utensils, plastic bags, and plastic wraps. Even Styrofoam is not allowed in the recycle bin.
If the pizza box contains food residue like cheese, sauce, etc, dispose of it in your trash bin. Or, you can compost it if it does not contain plastic. Do not recycle it, although it is made of cardboard.
Like the pizza boxes, you cannot recycle paper receipts and dirty toilet paper. You have to throw these items in the regular trash bin. Paper materials should be clean and dry before you recycle them. But, you can compost used, wet, or food-soiled paper items.
Empty containers make recycling easy. Scrape out and empty all the materials or food inside the containers, cans, and bottles. The clean containers will not attract flies and rodents. The pests will also trouble you if you do not empty the recycle bin at regular intervals.
Look for the numbers 1 and 2 on the bottom of the plastic items. These are recyclable. Confirm with your recycling collector on the accepted plastics. This will help you sort the suitable items for recycling.
Do not dispose of compostable plastics like PLA into the recycling bin. Items like food containers, serving ware, cups, and plastic film belong to this type. You can dispose them of in the trash. Or, you can send them to separate commercial or industrial compost processing units.

Final Takeaway

Now, the reasons for emptying your garbage recycle bin would be clear to you. Like regular trash, disposing of the items in the recycle bin should become a routine for you. Recycle containers have a lot of benefits. They offer you a good chance to go green while saving energy and reducing pollution. Moreover, recycling saves money. With it, you do not have to worry about the waste clutter or overflowing bins.

So, consult with the waste collection people in your area. Make sure you empty your recycle bin on the collection day. With a durable and well-designed recycle bin, it is easy to sort your recyclables. Have a look at the garbage recycle bin range available at Trash Cans Depot. Here, you can find bins of all types, materials, and styles.