Recycling Tips

Plastic bags do not belong in the recycle bin.

Plastic bags, wraps, and films can't be recycled in your curbside recycling bins. When plastic goes through the sorting equipment at the recycle facility it can bind up and damage the machines. You you can take some of these items to local retail stores where they collect for recycling.

Did you know bagged recyclables will end up at the landfill?!? Let’s keep stretchy plastic out of our recycling bins!

Why Can’t I Recycle My Plastic Bags? (.pdf)

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Holiday Recycling Tips

Tip 1: Bows and ribbons are not recyclable! I always suggest people to reuse their bows and ribbons if they can! But ribbons or bows, plastic or cloth, are not recyclable.
- - - - Tip 2: Plain wrapping paper is recyclable! But if the wrapping paper has any glitter, foil, or other embellishments, it is not recyclable.
      - Tip 3: String lights are recyclable, but not in your recycling bin! They can be taken to a local metal recycler for recycling!
      - Tip 4: Reuse gift bags! Like wrapping paper, plain paper gift bags are recyclable if the handles are removed. However, why not reuse the bags instead! During the holidays we see more bags made of other types of materials, so I wanted to create a tip that focuses on reuse instead.
      - Tip 5: Recycle all cardboard boxes! But toss any bubble wrap/Styrofoam/pillows in the trash!
Have recycling questions?

Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Household Waste

From packaging to food, we will see an increase of waste heading for our landfills and recycling facilities in the coming months. This holiday season, pay a little more attention to the amount of food you toss and find ways to reduce it. Visit //savethefood.com/ to find ways to reduce your food waste by planning ahead, storing it properly, and find recipes to use those foods that are past their prime!

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Candy wrappers do not belong in the recycle bin

Candy wrappers are typically made from multiple materials, which makes them a hard to recycle. This Halloween, please make sure all your candy wrappers end up in the trash can, not the recycling bin!

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Leaves and yard waste do not belong in the recycle bin

The words recycling and composting are sometimes used interchangeably, confusing some residents. Some well-meaning people will place their yard waste in the recycling bin along with their bottles, cardboard, and cans, thinking that the yard waste will be separated and composted. However, at the recycling sorting facility, the yard waste is treated as trash because they do not have composting capabilities. If you want your yard waste to be composted, please check with your city or your nearest landfill!

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Paper towel and toilet paper tubes can be recycled

While paper towels and toilet paper are not recyclable because their fibers are too short, their tubes/cores are! Not only are these tubes recyclable, but they are great for crafts. If you love crafting, try repurposing these tubes into decorations. Not into crafts or have excess? Recycle them!

Remember: Reduce, Reuse, then Recycle!

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Tissues, paper towels, and napkins belong in the trash

The fibers that make up your single-use paper products like tissues, paper towels, and napkins are too small to make it through the recycling process, so please place these items in your trash can. If you would like to reduce your waste, you can start introducing reusable alternatives like cloth napkins once a week and cleaning rags to your cleaning routine!

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Do you have to rinse recyclables?

Water conservation is on everyone’s mind this year due to the majority of the state suffering from extreme drought conditions. The goal of recycling is to conserve our natural resources and to preserve our natural environment. Before you toss your plastic bottles, jugs, and metal cans into your recycling bin, just make sure they are empty, no need to rinse. Flip your containers upside down give them a little shake to make sure they are empty. With food cans, use a spoon or spatula to scrape out any remanding food globs.

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

May 2021 - Household Hazardous Waste does not belong in the trash or the recycle bin

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) are products that contain toxic, flammable, or corrosive ingredients. This includes common household products such as paint and cleaning supplies, as well as electronics and rechargeable batteries. Disposing of these items in your trash or recycling containers can cause fires in our trucks and at disposal facilities. For safe disposal, please visit the Tooele County Health Department website for a list of drop-off locations: //tooelehealth.org/clean-house-household-hazardous-waste/

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

April

April is home to two very important holidays, Earth Day on April 22nd and Arbor Day on April 30th! In honor of both, this month’s tip goes out to all the readers out there. Have you made the switch to e-books or e-zines yet? If you don’t like them, visit your local library and check out a book! Do you love collecting books? Consider purchasing used! If donation is not an option for the magazines and soft cover books you need to get rid of, recycle them!

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Beverage Containers

Some people swear that soft drinks in glass bottles taste better than in their plastic and metal counterparts—turns out, there is truth to that! The lining in an aluminum can may absorb some of the soda’s flavor. If you prefer to purchase your soft drinks in glass bottles, make sure you recycle them by taking them to a drop off location near you. For a complete list of locations, please visit momentumrecycling.com.

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

February 2021 - Greeting Cards

At one point or another, we all must face that box in our closet stuffed with greeting cards. To toss or not to toss, that is the question! But did you know that your plain greeting cards can be tossed in your recycling bin? Just make sure that they don’t have any glitter, plastic, ribbons, or any other materials.

When purchasing greeting cards for others, keep their recyclability in mind!

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Plastic Lids

To leave on or throw out? That is the question relating to the plastic lids on plastic bottles. Originally, people were told to remove the lids of bottles and jugs because they are made from a different plastic than the container they are on. That has now changed with today’s technology, as there are now more efficient ways for recyclers to separate the lids from the containers at the plastics recycling facility. That now means that if you leave the lid on the bottle, it can now be recycled! However, if you remove the lid and still toss the lid in the recycling bin by itself, it will not be recycled! The lid by itself is too small to be captured during the recycling sorting process.

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Personal Protective Equipment

Please help us keep a clean recycling stream by tossing all disposable personal protective equipment in the trash! Not only are these items not recyclable, but they could put workers in the sort lines at risk.

Why is PPE not recyclable?

Disposable gloves and masks are made of multiple materials that are not recyclable.

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Tissues, toilet paper, and paper towels go in the garbage not the recycle bin

Office paper, junk mail, and magazines are all allowed in your recycling bin. However, the fibers that make up items like toilet paper, tissues, and paper towels are too short be made into another product. Please recycle right and make sure you are tossing these products in the trash!

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Reusable Bags

We often talk about making the switch from disposable to reusable bags, but we don’t talk about how to care for reusable bags. Don’t forget to wash them frequently! Follow the care instructions listed on your bag for the best guidelines. If your bag does not have care instructions, see below for some rule of thumbs. When in doubt, hand wash and line dry!

//www.cleaninginstitute.org/cleaning-tips/clothes/fabric-care/cleaning-reusable-bags

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Labels

Recycling Tips Image

We are often asked if labels need to be removed from bottles and cans—the answer is no! When it comes to your food cans and plastic bottles and jugs, the most important thing is to make sure that those items are clean, empty and dry. When containers that still contain food waste are tossed in recycling bins, they will contaminate otherwise clean recycling, sending more items to the landfill that could have been recycled.

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Keep recyclables dry

Make sure the lids on your bin is completely closed! Flatten and cut down any boxes that may cause the lid to not close all the way. Turns out wet cardboard and paper is basically useless when it comes to recycling. Water weakens the fibers, which decreases their value, which is why many recycling plants will reject soggy cardboard and paper.

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Glass

Did you know? Glass is 100% recyclable. When it is tossed in your recycling bin at home, it can break and harm workers at the sorting facilities. However, you can still recycle your glass containers by taking them to a drop-off location! The glass is processed and recycled here in Utah! For more drop-off locations, please visit MomentumRecycling.com.

Why can’t glass go in my recycling bin?
It’s because the recycling sorting facilities in Utah do not have the equipment to process glass.

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Christmas Lights

String lights are not accepted in your home recycling bin, but they can be recycled. Give your local scrap metal recycler a call to find our if they take them!

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Packing Materials and Styrofoam

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for recycling! Make sure you are disposing of your packaging materials correctly—toss those cardboard boxes in your recycling, but keep the Styrofoam and plastic wrap out! Remember, clean plastic film, including bubble wrap, can be taken to your local grocery store along with your plastic bags. Block Styrofoam can be dropped off at places such as Mark Foam or ACH Foam and most UPS stores will take packing peanuts for reuse!

Common questions regarding packing materials:

1. Why can’t you take Styrofoam? It has the recycle symbol with a number on it!

The recycling symbol on items does not mean that the item is recyclable! The recycling symbol is in the public domain; therefore, anyone can use it. When you see the chasing arrows with a number on plastic items, it is just telling you the type of plastic it is. And unfortunately, it is not recyclable.

Packing Styrofoam (but not packing peanuts) can be dropped off to be recycled at the following places: Recycle Utah in Park City, Marko Foam in Salt Lake City, and ACH Foam Technologies in Murray. Packing peanuts can be taken to most UPS stores who will reuse them!

Egg Cartons

Don’t forget to toss your empty egg cartons in your recycling bin! But remember, Styrofoam egg containers, and Styrofoam in any form, is not recyclable.

Common questions regarding mixed materials:

1. Why can’t you take Styrofoam? It has the recycle symbol with a number on it!
The recycling symbol on items does not mean that the item is recyclable! The recycling symbol is in the public domain; therefore, anyone can use it. When you see the chasing arrows with a number on plastic items, it is just telling you the type of plastic it is. And unfortunately, it is not recyclable.
Packing Styrofoam (but not packing peanuts) can be dropped off to be recycled at the following places: Recycle Utah in Park City, Marko Foam in Salt Lake City, and ACH Foam Technologies in Murray.

2. Can I recycle the plastic egg containers?

No! The only acceptable plastics are in the form of bottles and jugs.

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Mixed Materials

Did you know? When you try to recycle mixed materials such as cardboard inside plastic wrap or a newspaper still in its bag, it will end up at the landfill? Please remove the cardboard/newspaper from its plastic film—recycle the cardboard/newspaper and toss the plastic film in the garbage!

Common Questions Regarding Mixed Materials (.pdf)

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Plastic

Recycling Tips Image

No dirty containers in the recycle bin

Did you know you should clean out your recyclables? Food waste in the recycling will make cardboard and paper decompose faster. Don’t rot the recycling!

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Aluminum and Tin Cans

Metals can be recycled indefinitely—but did you know that only beverage and food cans can go in your recycling bin at home? For all other metal items, check if you can drop them off at your local scrap metal recycler!

Have recycling questions? Contact Ace Disposal at 801.363.9995 or recycle@acedisposal.com.

Common Questions Regarding Metals Cans (.pdf)

Recycling has been in the news a lot lately, especially when it comes to the foreign markets. Some people may post things about recycling being not valuable/a waste of time. Metals are still valuable, more valuable than anything else that can go in the recycling bin (papers, cardboard, plastic)!