Preventing Recycling Contamination in Apartments
At Villa Vinee Apartments, we pride ourselves on having a recycling bin available to our residents. Our recycling is located near the complex entrance on South 78th Street. It is an 8-yard large green bin with a yellow lid- you can’t miss it!
Did you know that 25% of the materials placed in the recycling bins are trash or unrecyclable materials? These mix-ups contaminate the entire bin and make the proper recycling materials unusable. Here is a list of the most common contaminants:
- Plastic bags: Plastic bags are a great receptacle to use to gather your loose recyclables. Empty the items in the bag, but leave the bag itself out of the bin.
- Food and liquids: These items are great for composting, but otherwise they belong in the trash.
- Bedding, rugs or carpet: These items are great for donation if in good condition but they do not belong in the recycling bin. Kelly’s Carpet and Habitat for Humanity ReStore are recycling locations for these items.
- Paper napkins, plates, cups, tissues or polystyrene foam: You can recycle the cardboard tube, but paper towels, napkins, cups and plates all belong in the trash or the compost bin. All foam and plastic to-go containers are not recyclable in the bin on our property. A local drop off site for foam is Airlite Plastics located at 525 Kansas Avenue, Omaha, NE.
- Electronics and small appliances: These items should be donated if possible. If not, our neighbor, Nebraska Furniture Mart is a recycling spot for electronics!
We love being able to provide recycling receptacles for our residents, but we need to make sure that the bins are being used correctly to ensure longevity and a successful recycling program! Thank you for recycling often and recycling right.