Paper cups have long been a point of confusion in recycling programs. They look like paper and feel like paper, so it seems like they should be recyclable like paper. Because of the other materials used to make them, many programs didn’t accept them. That has now changed.

Manitobans can recycle empty paper cups

Empty paper cups are now accepted for recycling across Manitoba. That includes coffee cups, fountain drink cups, Slurpee cups, and other paper cups. Next time you have one to recycle, here’s what to do.

How to recycle paper cups

Remove the lid, empty the cup, and put the cup in your recycling bin. Paper sleeves on coffee cups can stay on.

Emptying the cup matters: food, liquid, and other leftover contents can affect paper quality and hurt the recycling process.

Why are paper cups now accepted?

Recycling programs can only accept paper items that paper mills are able to process. Paper cups have a thin coating that lets them hold liquid, and they’re often printed with strong dyes. Both make the cups harder to process and limit what mills can turn them into compared to plain paper and cardboard — which is why many programs historically left them out.

Our team worked with recycling partners to review processing requirements, paper market conditions, and local recycling data. We determined paper cups can now be responsibly managed across Manitoba’s household recycling system.

Reducing is still the best option

The best way to reduce waste is to use less. Most coffee shops let you use your own travel mug, and many takeout restaurants and convenience stores will fill a cup you bring yourself. Bring your own cup if you plan on getting a drink on the go.

If you forget your mug one morning, or stop for a soda this summer, go ahead and recycle the cup.

How much packaging do you go through during the holiday season? All the holiday shopping and Black Friday deals can leave you with mountains of boxes, bags, parcels, and plastics—especially if you shop online.

It’s important to know which packaging materials you can recycle in your blue bin, so the most wonderful time of year isn’t the most wasteful. It’s also important to know what can’t go in your blue bin, because recycling processors handle more material during the holiday season.

Use the list below to find out which common shipping materials are accepted or not accepted in Manitoba residential recycling programs.

Shipping packaging accepted for residential recycling

Cardboard boxes

Note:

• Staples, tape, and shipping labels don’t need to be removed (although it’s appreciated if you do).
• Do not nest other items inside of boxes; this can lead to materials being improperly sorted.
• Flatten and/or cut large boxes to fit them loosely in your blue bin.

Corrugated cardboard wrap/cushioning

Molded paper inserts

Kraft paper

Paper-padded envelope

Note:

• These packages are lined with soft padding made of paper and glue. They’re a recyclable alternative to plastic-padded envelopes.

Shipping packaging NOT accepted for residential recycling

Plastic-padded envelope

Note:

• These packages may have a paper or plastic exterior, but are lined with bubble wrap, which isn’t accepted for recycling.

Soft or rigid foam (e.g., Styrofoam)

Bubble wrap

Plastic air bags/pillows

Note:

• Some retailers accept plastic bags for recycling.

That covers the bulk of shipping packaging you’ll encounter. If you’re unsure if you can recycle something that isn’t on this list, try looking it up in the Recyclepedia or check out our holiday recycling guide.

Recycling contamination is a problem, and the reasons may surprise you.

A load of residential recycling may contain items that don’t belong, but that doesn’t mean the entire load is contaminated or no longer fit to be recycled. High-tech sorting facilities can separate your recycling from the things that don’t belong. So, what’s all the fuss about contamination in the blue bin, and what happens to contaminated recycling?

What is recycling contamination?

Recycling contamination occurs when anything that isn’t allowed in a blue bin ends up in one. It varies by location, but for Manitoba’s residential recycling programs this includes:

Items that are not accepted in the blue bin in your community, such as:

• Garbage
• Organic waste
• Items that can be recycled through depots but can’t go in your blue bin, as they require special handling (e.g., electronics, household hazardous waste containers, batteries, and much more).

Items that are accepted in your blue bin, BUT:

• they contain excessive food or liquid (note that some residue is fine; check out this video to see how clean containers should be).
• they have been bundled together (i.e. put in an opaque plastic bag or nested inside other materials).

On average, 15% of the items collected in Manitoba’s residential recycling are contaminants. We list the most common contaminants later in this article.

What happens to contaminated recycling (and what doesn’t)?

A somewhat-common belief exists that if someone’s recycling is contaminated, everything goes to the landfill, no matter how perfect the rest of the recycling is. This is not true. If it were, there wouldn’t be a point in collecting recycling, because there’s bound to be some contamination in every truck load.

Once collected, residential recycling goes to a sorting facility. Workers and machines sort accepted recyclables by material type and then compact them into bales. Nearly all non-accepted items get filtered out and taken to a landfill. The sorters aren’t perfect, so some residual waste may get baled with recyclables.

The bales are then shipped to end-markets (i.e., paper mills, metal or plastic processors) that process the materials to be used to manufacture new products. The processors that purchase the bales permit some contamination and will remove any residual waste that doesn’t belong. If the bales repeatedly exceed the permitted level of contamination, the processors may refuse them. But don’t panic—this is rare thanks to the high efficacy of modern sorting facilities.

But if that’s the case…

Why is recycling contamination a problem?

1. Worker safety and equipment damage

Many items pose risks to collection and sorting staff and their equipment. For example, batteries are the most common cause of recycling truck and sorting facility fires.

Although most recycling is sorted by machinery, staff must first remove contamination by hand (which moves quickly along conveyor belts) that could damage equipment. Furniture, scrap metal, and other large or sharp objects can injure sorting staff.

Biohazards like pet waste or leftover food, and chemical hazards like fluorescent light bulbs can have the potential to cause serious illness to the workers that handle them.

Plastic film and bags are surprisingly detrimental; they get tangled in machinery, and workers that remove them may not see potential hazards under or in the bags.

2. Increased transportation (more fuel emissions)

As mentioned, any non-accepted items collected get sorted out. They then need to be taken to a landfill. This adds an extra trip to dispose of things that could’ve been collected by the residential garbage trucks already on the road. It ends up taking two trips to end up in the same place it would have had it been just put in the garbage bin.

3. Contamination of accepted recyclables

Perfectly good recyclables occasionally don’t get recycled due to contamination. This typically happens in one of three ways:

a) Nesting – When different types of materials are placed inside each other (e.g., a soup can inside a cereal box) which can prevent sorters from putting them into the correct stream.

b) Improperly bagging recycling – In many communities, it’s ok to put your recycling in clear bags. But if they’re put into black or opaque bags, staff can’t see whether it’s recycling or garbage, and they typically won’t open them for safety reasons.

In many communities, such as Winnipeg and Brandon, the only time a clear bag should be in the blue bin is if it contains shredded paper. Other materials can’t be bagged—not even in clear bags. This is because staff need to manually open and empty the bags before they reach the sorting line. There’s an enormous amount of recycling that needs to be processed daily, and if too many people bag their recycling, sorting staff won’t have time to safely open and empty every bag on top of all the other things they do to keep the facility running.

c) Excessive food and liquid – Metal, glass, and plastic recyclables aren’t easily affected by food or liquid contamination. As long as there’s not a lot of food or liquid in them, they’ll be baled and sent to end-markets that will clean them of any food, dirt, or other residue.

Paper and cardboard aren’t as resilient. Paper quality decreases when it absorbs food or liquids, and it can’t be washed like plastic and metal. For this reason, paper-based items can become contaminated if unemptied containers in the blue bin or recycling truck leak onto them.

4. Increased costs

Each problem above increases operational costs. Plus, when would-be recyclables are thrown out because they’re tainted by excessive food or liquid, it reduces revenue from material sales that help offset program costs.

How to reduce recycling contamination.

You can help reduce your community’s recycling contamination rate by following the steps below:

• Make sure your containers are empty before you toss them into the blue bin.
• Toss your recyclables into the bin loosely; don’t nest the materials (i.e., stuff them into one another) and don’t bag them unless your community’s program permits.
• Don’t put anything in your blue bin that your community does not accept.

When in doubt, check the Recyclepedia. It shows you what can go in your blue bin and what can’t. It will tell you any special recycling instructions, and let you know if other recycling options are available for items that can’t go in your blue bin.

Top 10 most common contaminants in Manitoba recycling.

DO NOT put these in your blue bin:

• Styrofoam
• Coffee pods
• Clothing and textiles
• Compostable packaging
• Pots and pans
• Aluminum foil and plates
• Paper towels, tissues and napkins
• Plastic pouches and laminates (e.g., chip bags, bread bags)
• Ceramics

Other common types of contamination that can be recycled or safely disposed at depots and/or retailers, but not in your blue bin:

• Batteries
• Electronics
• Household hazardous waste (HHW)
• Ink and toner cartridges
• Medications (e.g., capsules, tabs, ointments) and some medical sharps.
• Paint cans (full or empty)
• Oil, antifreeze, and their containers (even when empty).
• Plastic bags and cellophane
• Thermostats containing mercury
• Tires

Author: Joel Larson

Does Manitoba Recycle Glass?

Does Manitoba Recycle Glass?

We’ve all heard at some point in our lives that glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without loss of quality.

It’s true, glass can be recycled forever. But is it recycled in Manitoba?

It’s complicated.

In short, glass is reused, but not as new bottles the way it used to be. This is due to the change in where glass containers are produced.

In the 1950s, producers started to transition from glass to plastic to make containers, opting for its cost-effectiveness, durability in transportation, and lighter weight.

When food and beverage containers were mostly glass, producers had bottling facilities scattered throughout Canada. It was expensive and risky to transport the heavy, fragile containers over long distances. Residents could return their glass to the local bottling plants to be reused.

As plastic containers became common, bottling facilities started closing, as it was cheaper and more efficient to transport goods over long distances. Manitoba no longer has a major bottling plant. Without a close end-market, the cost and emissions are too great to transport glass to be recycled into new containers.

What happens to recycled glass in Manitoba?

The collected glass is crushed at GFL’s Winnipeg processing plant. From there, it goes to Brady Landfill, where they use it to build and repair roads.

To be clear: Manitoba is not dumping the glass in the landfill as waste , which is what people often think when they hear that glass goes to the landfill. Instead, it finds a purpose as a key component in road construction. Glass serves as an environmentally friendly road base in place of sand and gravel, which need to be mined, processed, and transported.

Next time you hear that glass is being discarded in Brady Landfill, rephrase it to “glass is being reused as road base at Brady Landfill”

Are there other ways Manitoba could reuse or recycle glass?

We are all about sustainability and always looking for ways to reuse what can’t be recycled in Manitoba. There has been some exciting research done to find new ways to use glass, like this study at the University of Manitoba about using crushed glass to filter river water.

The study checked how well crushed recycled glass works in water filters for small town wastewater treatment in Dunnottar, Manitoba. Researchers compared it to regular sand filters over 128 days. The results showed that it works almost as well as sand in cleaning the water of contaminants like dirt and ammonia. The researchers think glass could be a good replacement for sand in these filters.

Manitoba Heavy Construction Association published a report which suggests crushing old concrete to use for new roads and buildings. Even though it doesn’t talk much about glass, it does mention we can recycle various things like glass, asphalt, and more for construction use.

Many organizations care about the environment, and we are looking for solutions to curb the waste of resources. These are just a few examples.

One day the market may change, and we could start recycling glass here in Manitoba again.

The important thing is that glass is already accepted in the blue bin, and it’s reused in Manitoba.

There are a few things you can always expect during the holidays: family dinners, exchanging gifts, and the clean-up that follows. Download our Manitoba holiday recycling guide to see how to best dispose of gift bags, wrapping paper, and other holiday items. We go into more detail on the most common holiday items below.

Your household blue bin is for recycling packaging and printed paper. But there are lots of recyclable items that don’t belong in your blue bin (for reasons outlined below). You can visit drop-off locations, accessible to most Manitobans, to recycle batteries, electronics, tires, and more.

Scroll down to find recycling locations for common household items that don’t belong in your blue bin or garbage. Alternatively, you can search for any of the items below in the Recyclepedia to find out where to recycle them in your community.

This contest is over.

Teachers—show us how your classroom reuses, reduces, and recycles to be entered to win a cash prize.

What is the Remarkable Recycler Contest?

We’ve teamed up with Bell Media to encourage teachers and students to practice and promote waste reduction. Enter your class for a chance to be selected as our Remarkable Recyclers and win a cash prize for your class. There will be new winners each week, and some winners will be featured on CTV Morning Live or Bell Media’s Winnipeg and Brandon radio stations (see below)!

Enter to be a Remarkable Recycler.

Submit a photo showing how your class makes an effort to recycle (students do not need to be in the photo). Some examples are:

• A recycling corner with educational posters and guides.
• A class project focused on recycling and waste reduction. Check out our lesson plans for ideas.
• Anything your class does that encourages or helps students recycle!

The contest is open to all Manitoba teachers from kindergarten to Grade 12. We recommend students and parents tell their teachers to enter!

Teachers can enter easily online through one of our partners’ websites:

• CTV Morning Live
• 103.1 Virgin Radio Winnipeg
• Bounce 96.1 & Pure Country 101.1 Brandon

Share this contest with anyone who you think is making a difference. We can’t wait to see all the remarkable ways they recycle!

Are you unknowingly contaminating your recycling?

It’s your birthday! You pull a shirt out of the gift bag your aunt and uncle gave you. Trying your best to pretend you love it, you toss the bag aside. Your aunt stops you and says there’s something else in the bag. You look back inside. Hidden at the bottom is a $100 gift card—a gift card you came close to losing out on…

This is what can happen to materials in your blue bin when you put them inside other recyclables (also known as nesting). The difference is your aunt was there to let you know about the gift card. There’s no one to tell the machines and workers who sort your recycling there’s a soda can hidden at the bottom of a cereal box.

Nesting recyclables is recycling contamination.

Nesting may seem like a harmless way to save space in your blue bin, but it’s a form of contamination. Even if all the nested materials are accepted for recycling, the different materials can end up getting baled together. This is because most recycling is sorted by automated machinery. Magnets pull metal food cans and lids, and optical sorters use lights and sensors to identify and separate plastics. The sensors can’t detect when there are other materials inside containers or boxes.

Recycling processors have staff who sort nested materials when they see them, but some get missed. Winnipeg’s residential recycling program collected an average of 210.4 tonnes of materials per day last year. It’s impossible to catch everything that doesn’t belong, and some bales get contaminated—but that doesn’t necessarily mean the bales don’t get recycled.

What happens to contaminated recycling?

In most cases, contaminated bales still get recycled. So, what’s wrong if they’re contaminated with other materials? Let’s think back to the soda can in a cereal box example.

When the bale of boxboard gets to a paper mill, the soda can and any other non-paper materials in the bale get thrown out.

Not only does the soda can not get recycled, but it also wastes energy, money, and time by going through the collection, sorting, and shipping processes just to end up in the garbage.

What if materials nest themselves?

Let’s say you do your best and put your recyclables into your blue bin individually. There’s a chance that gravity and movement will nest some materials on the way to a recycling facility. How can you prevent this from happening?

An empty, collapsed box can’t nest anything. Neither can a plastic tub with a lid on.

However sometimes things just don’t have a lid. What now? The best thing to do is avoid overfilling your bin. All materials should be loose in the blue bin.

How to save space in your blue bin.

Too much takeout? Too many deliveries? Too many bulk store visits? Sometimes it feels like the blue bin is filling faster and faster. Here are some tips to get more space without nesting materials:

• Try to reduce the amount of packaging you go through. Some containers are unavoidable (e.g., food, especially for large families), but if your bin is filling quickly, consider buying items where the packaging can collapse (more boxes, less plastic).
• Use reusable containers: Instead of buying single-serving snacks or drinks, use reusable containers and refillable water bottles.
• Reduce junk mail: Did you know you can request direct mail to avoid your mailbox? You can unsubscribe from junk mail! Check how on Canada Post website.
• Collapse cardboard and boxes; no need to remove the tape.
• Crush beverage cans by hand. Crushing cans by hand is fine, but using can-crushers can increase the chance of cans falling out of bales.
• Crush plastic bottles: Squeeze or crush plastic bottles to minimize their size. Make sure to put the cap on so they don’t get lost during the sorting process.
• Empty and rinse containers: You don’t need to scrub them spotless, but try to remove any remaining food, liquid, or other substances. Put the lids back on all containers (except for glass containers with metal lids). Having lids on will prevent smaller objects from getting inside.
• Only put accepted items in the blue bin. Your recycling could be filling fast because you’re wish-cycling – when you have an item that isn’t accepted, but you’re not sure, so you put it in your blue bin and hope it gets recycled. The intentions behind wish-cycling are good, but it leads to contamination and is counterproductive. The collection, sorting, and transporting of contamination from the recycling facility to the landfill leads to more emissions than if you had disposed of it properly.

Your blue bin is for printed paper and packaging. But what about bikes? Washing machines? Mattresses? Manitobans—admirably not wanting to waste—regularly ask us where they can recycle products like these that are damaged or no longer needed.

It’s always best to reuse something before recycling it, so our go-to answers are to donate to second-hand stores, charities, or post it online for free. But there are some products that won’t get any takers, either because they’re too damaged (like a tv with a cracked screen) or too big (like appliances).

But there’s still hope for lots of those damaged and seemingly unwanted goods. We’ve put together this list of places you can take your old appliances, mattresses, electronics, and even bicycles, to be either refurbished and reused, or recycled.

Note: The information below is subject to change. Always check with the business/organization directly before taking items to recycle.

Where to recycle appliances (stoves, washers, dryers, dishwashers, and more)

Provencher Appliance – Most home appliances

Location: 404 Archibald St, Winnipeg

Provencher Appliance will take most home appliances:

• washers & dryers
• stoves
• microwaves
• dishwashers
• refrigerators, freezers, & A/C units (see other places that accept these in the next section)

The company tries to refurbish old or broken appliances first, keeping them alive and out of landfills. If there’s simply no hope for grandma’s cold war stove, they strip it for parts that they can use to save other appliances and recycle the rest.

You can drop off your appliances during their opening hours or pay a fee to have it picked up.

Mother Earth Recycling – Microwaves

Location: 771 Main St, Winnipeg

An Indigenous Social Enterprise in Winnipeg, Mother Earth Recycling accepts mattresses and a variety of electronics (more on that later in the article) for recycling. They also accept microwaves, but this is the only appliance they accept.

You can drop your microwave off to be recycled during opening hours for free or pay a fee to have it picked up.

Other parts of Manitoba

Check with your R.M. or local appliance stores to find out if they recycle appliances.

Where to recycle refrigerators, freezers, and A/C units

EfficiencyMB – Fridges and freezers

Location: Manitoba-wide

To rid the province of inefficient freezers and refrigerators, EfficiencyMB is offering free pick up and a $30 Hydro rebate for working appliances over 20 years old (including other criteria) in coordination with Manitoba Hydro. Although its scope is limited, the program is a great way for some to responsibly dispose of they’re old refrigerating units.

Provencher Appliance – Fridges, freezers, and A/C units.

Location: 404 Archibald St, Winnipeg

We already mentioned them under the ‘appliances’ section, but in case you missed it, they refurbish and recycle refrigerators, freezers, and A/C units.

Other parts of Manitoba

Check with your R.M. or local appliance stores to find out if they recycle refrigerators and freezers.

Where to recycle mattresses and box springs.

Mother Earth Recycling

Location: 771 Main St, Winnipeg

Mother Earth Recycling is Winnipeg’s only mattress recycling service. You can also take your mattresses to the Brady Road 4R Depot, which takes mattresses to Mother Earth Recycling.

They separate the different materials in mattresses like foam, fabric, metal, and wood.

There is an $18 fee for each mattress or box spring to cover the cost of recycling the materials. You can pay an additional fee to have them pick up your mattresses.

Where to recycle electronics.

Recycle My Electronics (EPRA)

Location: Manitoba-wide

As the steward organization responsible for electronics recycling in Manitoba, Recycle My Electronics has drop-off locations across the province. They accept a wide variety of electronics like TVs, printers, cellphones, and many more. You can use their interactive map to find a dop-off site nearest to you.

Saving Audio Recycling

Location: Winnipeg

Saving Audio Recycling is a volunteer organization that refurbishes and recycles audio equipment. They donate refurbished equipment to local non-profits, cultural groups, and schools. Anything they can’t refurbish or use for parts is recycled.

They accept most audio equipment, such as stereos, speakers, record players, and more. Visit their site to see the full list of products they accept and arrange a drop-off or free pick up.

Mother Earth Recycling

Location: 771 Main St, Winnipeg

Mother Earth Recycling accepts most common electronics. They refurbish several kinds of electronics, such as computers and TVs, and recycle the rest following EPRA standards.

Where to recycle bicycles.

Your broken bike doesn’t belong in the dump. With a bit of work, it could be road-ready for years to come. There are a few volunteer-run places you can donate your bike to that will fix it or use any good parts left on it. They help reduce waste while providing affordable transportation to others.

Some places even have a workspace and volunteers that can help you with repairs, so you might not even need to get a new bike after all!

Bicycle recycling in Winnipeg

Coop Velo-cite- 190 Cathedral Ave. Open Sunday 12-4 p.m.

The Bike Dump – 631 Main St. Open Sunday 1-4 p.m. and Tuesday 6-9 p.m.

The WRENCH – Any Winnipeg 4R Depot. The WRENCH collects the bikes from the 4R Depots. They do not accept bike donations at their shops.

Bicycle recycling in Brandon

BNRC Bike Exchange – 440 Rosser Ave. Open Wednesdays 5-7p.m.

Other parts of Manitoba

Check with your local cycling shop to find out if they take used bikes or take to them to your local scrap metal dealer.

Hopefully you were able to find somewhere to donate your stuff. We’ll update this list as we learn of new places that can help Manitobans reduce their waste.

If you know any organizations or businesses that reduce waste by reusing, refurbishing, or repurposing products that would otherwise be disposed of, let us know so we can add them to this list. You can contact us here.

Is there a point to our weekly walks with our blue bins to the curbside? To remembering what we can and can’t recycle? Is it even making a difference?

Yes, yes, and a big green YES.

For Earth Day, let’s explore the various ways recycling protects our planet.

Recycling conserves natural resources.

One of the most significant environmental benefits of recycling is the conservation of natural resources. Before the pages in your notebook were paper, they were part of a tree. Recycling items made of paper, plastic, and metal reduces the need to extract new raw materials. Recycling not only preserves the resources materials are derived from, but also other resources used in their production. For example, recycling 2,000 pounds of paper saves 7,000 gallons of water, according to an article from Stanford University.

With Manitoba recycling millions of kilograms of materials in curbside recycling each year (not to mention materials recycled through other programs), the benefits to our natural resources are massive. Don’t think of your empty bottles, cardboard boxes, or other recyclables as worthless junk that has served its purpose. Instead, think of them as the valuable resources used to produce them.

Recycling reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

When paper and packaging can be made without extracting, transporting, and processing timber or metal ore, it emits significantly fewer GHGs. A 2009 Canadian study showed an emissions reduction of 369 kg of CO2e per tonne when producing recycled paper compared to paper made from virgin pulp (i.e., trees).

Much of the GHG reductions come from the energy saved from recycling.

Recycling saves energy.

Energy consumption is the biggest contributor to GHG emissions from paper and packaging production. Although Manitoba gets it’s power mainly from hydroelectricity, most energy is produced elsewhere. Manufacturing with recycled materials uses less energy than manufacturing with raw materials. An article by the National Institutes of Health states that recycled aluminum uses 95% less energy than it would to make the same amount from its virgin source. Other recycled materials also see great reductions in energy use:

• Steel – 60% less
• Newspaper – 40% less
• Plastics – 70% less
• Glass – 40% less

Recycling also diverts materials from landfills and incinerators. As landfill waste breaks down, it produces methane and, as you can probably imagine, burning waste releases numerous GHGs. Recycling your materials prevents both scenarios.

By reducing GHG emissions, recycling helps reduce air pollution and slow global warming.

Remember to Reduce and Reuse first.

Recycling beats the garbage every time, but don’t forget to reduce waste in other ways.

Be mindful of your impact as a consumer. Try to reduce your consumption of both recyclable and non-recyclable goods when possible. Look for zero or low-waste options for whatever you buy. Avoid single-use items. The federal government estimates their ban on a handful of single-use plastics will eliminate 1.3 million tonnes of waste over the next decade. Think of other items you can reduce in your life—getting a reusable water bottle or using refillable containers for bulk food are simple ways to cut back on waste.

Try to Reuse the things you do buy. Before you recycle that pickle jar or throw that old hat in the garbage, consider if you or someone else could make use of it. You could use the jar to store sugar (the bags always spill!). The old hat? Just because it’s not your style anymore doesn’t mean someone else wouldn’t love it. With thrift stores, the old proverb that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure is as true today as ever. For more valuable items you simply don’t need any more, try selling them online.

If you can’t reuse something, then recycle it. You’ll protect your own environment and the rest of the Earth. If you’re not sure if something is recyclable, visit the Recyclepedia or download the app to find out if it goes in your blue bin or needs to be recycled somewhere else.