Thinking outside the box... and bag!

When it comes to recycling, most of us are familiar with putting things like pop cans, plastic water bottles, boxes, tin cans and paper in the blue box, but why not take it a step further.  If we think outside of the box, and bag, we will discover even more that can be recycled. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Paper Packaging for:

• flour
• sugar
• potatoes
• cereal box liners (ie Weetabix)

 Plastic Bag Packaging for: 

• bagels
• bread
• English muffins
• apples
• peppers
• carrots
• toilet paper

The paper packaging can go in the blue box.  Give it a good shake to get out as much of the product as you can.  You will want to make sure the paper isn't coated with wax or plastic.  The plastic bags can be collected to take with you to a local store that collects them for recycling like the Real Canadian Superstore or Walmart.  Shake out any  little bits that may still be inside and turn them inside out to dry if they have any moisture in them.

I found some interesting links that you might want to check out.  Check out this Stores Collecting Bags link to find a handy tool that lets you check out where you can take plastic bags for recycling by store, city and province.  Just change the search criteria for your area or for the store you are wondering about.

Check out this My Waste Tool on the city of London website that allows you to enter the type of waste you have and it will tell you if it is recyclable and where you can recycle it.

Do you have any more ideas for paper and plastic bags that can be recycled?

-TJ