Knowing What Not To Recycle Just As Important, Says Waste Management

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BROWARD (CBSMiami) -- Backed up to the Everglades in Broward County sits the Reuter Recycling Facility.

It is the largest single-stream recycling facility in the Southeast United States. Step inside and you will find piles of material that seem to stretch from the floor to the ceiling, all of which were collected from neighborhoods across South Florida. They are waiting to be sorted and turned into giant cubes of aluminum, plastic, and paper, all of which will be shipped out.

America Recycles Day is November 15th and it is just another typical day inside the facility, but the hope is that outside people become aware and educated on the correct way to recycle.

Shiraz Kashar works for Waste Management in Florida and is the Outreach and Education specialist. When asked about what today means to the recycling industry he states, "The hope is that people take today and look into recycling education. What are the correct things to recycle and certainly look into things you shouldn't put into your recycling bin."

Waste Management is the largest residential recycler in the nation and he wants to simplify the process for the general public.

"Clean and dry paper, plastic, and cans both aluminum or steel are the only things you should put into a bin," he says. "When individuals put plastic bags, hoses, or Christmas Lights in this slows down the process and also puts our workers at risk. Especially if they have to pull out any of those contaminants."

These items can not only bind up the sorting machines and put a halt to the process entirely, but too many contaminants will lead to entire recycling loads being rejected.

Shiraz says to not only remember today but every day, "Recycle often, and recycle right."

Recylcing is great for communities and the environment and Waste Management wants to educate the public to do it properly to keep them from rejecting loads and sending them out to a landfill.