Can you recycle used paper plates? (recycling, plastic, buy, coloring)
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My family uses alot of paper plates. I always rinse/wash them and put in the recycler. My husband asked me yesterday why I did so because they are not able to be recycled because they are not pure paper and they are either bleached or have coloring in them.
Many paper plates are coated with grease resistant waxes, in addition they still absorb a certain amount of oil. I was told at my transfer station that they can not recycle paper that is oily or greasy. Trash 'em , I'm afraid.
we used both foam plates and paper plates....id recycle the paper with regular paper...even the wax coated ones, ive never heard that you cant. foam ones ive heard they dont recycle...im not sure, but ive tossed them in there to.
but i went greener, instead of relying on paper/foam plates, i got plastic plates....easy to wash up and reuse...like picnic plates....this to me is my little way of being green in one aspect...less paper in landfill, less trees being cut down.
we used both foam plates and paper plates....id recycle the paper with regular paper...even the wax coated ones, ive never heard that you cant. foam ones ive heard they dont recycle...im not sure, but ive tossed them in there to.
but i went greener, instead of relying on paper/foam plates, i got plastic plates....easy to wash up and reuse...like picnic plates....this to me is my little way of being green in one aspect...less paper in landfill, less trees being cut down.
Paper companies grow the trees to make paper from.
Their called tree farms....
Next time you see trees growing in neat little rows they may not be Christmas trees but trees that are grown for making paper.
If they did not grow them there would not be one tree left in North America today..
And that paper you recycle goes to china to make more boxes to send us more junk in to recycle again...I'ts a never ending CYCLE...
Actually, Houston3, most of the corporations have sold off their tree farms for development and shut down their stateside paper mills. It's cheaper to let China do it all...
Although I have to say that this thread put me in mind of an old joke - "Let's do the dishes." "They are paper plates!" "right, you scrape and I'll erase."
Using paper plates is not only not ecologically sound, it isn't fiscally sound practice either. Moreover, if you use them to reheat foodstuffs in the microwave, the heat can cause chemicals from the paper plates to infiltrate your food. I'm not judging - it took me awhile to get DH off of them and to realize that the ceramic plates saved us money and actually performed better in the microwave!
You've clearly never visited the Pacific Northwest or Alaska.
Been to Oregon a few times in the past...Been to Alaska once....
But I don't think that really has anything to do with there being no trees left in North America if the paper companies did not grow trees on tree farms.
Actually, Houston3, most of the corporations have sold off their tree farms for development and shut down their stateside paper mills. It's cheaper to let China do it all...
Although I have to say that this thread put me in mind of an old joke - "Let's do the dishes." "They are paper plates!" "right, you scrape and I'll erase."
Using paper plates is not only not ecologically sound, it isn't fiscally sound practice either. Moreover, if you use them to reheat foodstuffs in the microwave, the heat can cause chemicals from the paper plates to infiltrate your food. I'm not judging - it took me awhile to get DH off of them and to realize that the ceramic plates saved us money and actually performed better in the microwave!
If they have, they have done it in the last three years...
I've heard that the paper recycled here is sent to China and is used to make boxes to ship their junk back to us...
So I don't see how recycling paper plates helps anything...We just get it back in a different form.
Best thing is to just not use them unless you are going out on a picnic.
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maybe try...
