Recycle Today for a Better Tomorrow
Keep Euclid Beautiful often gets questions about recycling. The Do's and Dont's are different in each State and sometimes vary from city to city. This can make recycling a bit confusing. In this column, Keep Euclid Beautiful will do our best to answer your recycling questions based on the guidelines for the City of Euclid and the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District.
Dear Keep Euclid Beautiful: Can I recycle styrofoam or plastic cups, silverware, lids or used paper plates?
The answer is NO. These items must be placed in your regular trash and unfortunately will go into a landfill.
The truth is not everything can be recycled. An alternative to this is planning a Zero Waste Event whenever possible. Small steps can go a long way to reverse the "throw-a-way" culture we have become accustomed to. The first step to having a Zero Waste Event is trying to reduce your amount of waste overall. It's not just about sorting, it is about reducing and planning your event to have as many reusable components as possible.
Some simple steps you might take are cutting down on the amount of disposable supplies. Using real dishes, real cups , silverware and cloth napkins are some ideas. Also cutting down on giveaway items or printed items that are going to be briefly looked at and then discarded helps reduce waste. You might also try recyclable decorations, limiting decorations or using natural elements and flowers to decorate.
All of these steps along with recycling and composting help divert waste from landfills.
Remember when in doubt, leave it out.
Please forward your recycling questions to keepeuclidbeautiful@cityofeuclid.com
We will do our best to answer your questions. Some questions my be featured in our next column.
Linda Beck
Secretary to the Mayor's Office, Chairperson for Keep Euclid Beautiful, Member of Keep Euclid Beautiful Team