Why Labels and Recycling Just Don't Mix
In every day life, labels are a definite good thing. When wrapped around an item of food or drink, they tell us what we need to know about the product, what it contains and even how good it is for us. A world without labels is a world where we might pour orange juice on our cornflakes before realizing our mistake.
Yet when it comes to recycling, labels become the enemy. Labels and recycling, to put it mildly, do not mix. Disposing of wine bottles is a good way to recycle glass and help the environment, but before you do so, you'll be asked to remove the label. The same goes for everything: while the container itself is useful for recycling, the label invariably is not.
That makes recycling something of a chore; steadily going through your garbage and removing the labels, prior to sending the items to a recycling plant. Yet this is a necessary evil. You may have puzzled over why you need to remove a plastic-based label from a plastic container that you are recycling in the plastic bin; well, it's the type of plastic that is important. Label plastic is specially designed to be malleable and bendable, and if mixed with the kind of plastic manufactured to hold food or drink, it will produce a weaker recycled product.
It is therefore imperative that you do follow the directives given regarding removing labels, from every type of container. If you don't, someone at the recycling plant will have to do it - costing valuable time and resources.