(Cleveland) - Even though the city of Cleveland is now taking recyclables to a landfill, the city is still asking people to keep separating recyclables from garbage.
City leaders have acknowledged that they've been dumping recyclables in the landfill, this after the city's contract with a recycling company ended. The only bid the city received for a new contract would have cost the city $6 million per year.
The city is asking residents to continue being in the habit of separating recyclables from trash, in the hopes that there will eventually be a contract for the city to make money from items for which there is still a market. Plastics have a very poor value on the recycling market, but paper, cardboard, and glass jars still have value.
The city has admitted that residents had a very poor rate of separating items, putting trash in the recyclable bin. That cuts the amount of items that can be recycled, especially paper and cardboard, which can't be recycled if they're wet or stained. An example is, a pizza box can't be recycled.
People living in Cuyahoga County suburbs are still also to separate trash from recyclables, as directed by the county, which coordinates recycling programs outside of Cleveland.
Then, there's upcycling, which is the art of re-purposing throwaway materials into art and functional items. Google "upcycling," and you will find a number of suggestions.
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