Recyling Basics

Chef, author and contributing columnist to Edible Santa Barbara, Janice Cook Knight was kind enough to join us on the show yesterday. She had recently done an article for "Edible" on recycling so we asked her to give us the low down on recycling basics. Here is what we learned.

1. Paper or cardboard food containers (to-go boxes, pizza boxes, paper plates, napkins, etc) CANNOT be recycled! That was big news to us.  If the paper goods have touched food, they gum up the works in the recycling process. These items must be COMPOSTED.

2. Plastic bags (the kind you get at the grocery store, either for veggies or as a carry bag) CAN BE RECYCLED at any grocery store. The State mandates that stores must take them back. They are then used to make decking material. That's good news. A tip on that, if the bags are gooey or greasy, rinse them out before returning. The bad news is only 5% of the plastic bags distributed are being recycled.

3. Milk cartons. Bad news, these are not recyclable in Santa Barbara County. Nor are those "boxes" that contain soy milk, almond milk, etc.

4. Styrofoam, this is a complicated subject. It can not be recycled and it leaches stuff into food.

5. The good news is that all metals can be recycled.

Those are some basics, I highly recommend reading the full article in the most recent Edible Santa Barbara for the full story.

What Can You Do?
1. Tell the shops you frequent to stop using Styrofoam.
2. Recycle and reuse your plastic bags. 
3. Compost paper goods that have touched food.
4. Take your own reusable bags everywhere.
5. Spread the word.

It's our planet and it's the only one we have at the moment, so it's up to all of us to protect it. If we all do are part it's not such an overwhelming task.
 Click here for recycling basics in latest issue of Edible Santa Barbara