FAQs
“WHAT IS RECYCLABLE IN WINSTON SALEM, NC?”
You may already know about a few materials that are recyclable in Winston Salem. However, more surprising is just how many things don’t qualify as recyclable. Below are materials accepted by the city:
Plastics: jugs, soda bottles, soap/shampoo/conditioner bottle. (Note: Pumps on soap and the like are not included)
Glass Containers: Wine Bottles, Beer Bottles and food jars.
Paper Products: Cereal Boxes, Cartons of Juice/Milk/Non-Dairy Milk (without plastic coating) , Magazines/Newspapers, Unwanted Mail, Cardboard bags.
Metals: Soda cans, Aerosol cans, food cans, Pie Tins, Aluminum Foil
“What Does Leisure Time Recycling accept that the city does not?”
The great thing about Leisure Time Recycling is we process more plastics than the city of Winston Salem, NC. Plastics pose a great threat to our oceans and landscape. Most places won’t accept plastic takeaway boxes and more. A lot of the plastics you recycle actually wind up in landfills.
Here at Leisure Time Recycling we accept plastics labeled #1-#7 EXCEPT #5. You can find these numbers at the bottom of your plastic containers.
Refer to the chart shown left to find out what the heck all these numbers mean!
Also, be sure to check out our CONTACT US page to call or email us about what we can do to take electronics off your hands.
AND YES! We do accept cardboard pizza boxes, unlike the City!
(While wood is in fact recyclable, we do not process it at our facility. Waxed cardboard is also not recyclable.)
“What do I need to do to my recyclables before chucking them in the bin?”
Leisure Time Recycling isn’t too picky. Our awesome team is here to do the dirty work for you when it comes to food containers.
Here is a list of things to do before we pick it up:
Optional: Wash food particulate out of jars, bottles, cans. You don’t have to, but it can get smelly and attract insects in and around your home.
Put paper products (junk mail, paperwork, light cardboard, etc.) at the bottom of your bin so they don’t blow away into some guy’s tree down the road.
REMOVE CAPS FROM BOTTLES. From the shear amount of bottles we sort, it is difficult to remove these caps. Caps are typically not recyclable.
Separate your pickle jars and pickle jar lids. In fact, its a good rule of thumb to remove any lid or cap from products.
Remember that Plant containers from your Home Improvement Stores can only be recycled by bringing them back to the store they came from. This is the same for plastic shopping bags and even printer cartridges. In fact, you can get money for returning your Printer Ink Cartridges!
“What do these materials become after they leave your facility?
The possibilities are endless! Thankfully, more innovative people than ourselves, have discovered so many ways to reuse our recycling!
Plastic recyclables are shipped to a myriad of companies around the world who re-purpose them into objects most people would never guess.
Milk Jugs and other small mouthed plastic containers, can be used to create new bottles and containers, picnic tables, patio boards, outdoor furniture, trash/recycling bins and even playground equipment. Bottles (like those used for water and soda) are typically made into clothes, carpeting, blankets, fabrics, insulation and of course, more bottles.
Foam from packaging can be re-purposed into insulation and home building materials.
The great thing about aluminum is it can be reused again and again… and again, and again. You get the point. Aluminum cans and others of the like are melted down and can be molded into many different things. New cans, airplane parts, building materials, sports equipment… there are too many possibilities to describe!
Glass bottles are another wonderful material that is easy to reuse again and again. They can become another glass bottles, industrial sand used for filtration, beads, art supplies, building supplies and much more.
Cartons (FREE FROM WAX COATING) can we recycled as well. These cartons could be from Milk Cartons, Dairy Alternative Milk Cartons, Juice boxes, etc. There are different materials in these products, such as paper, plastic and aluminum. Papers can be made into tissues, standard paper, cards… you get the gist. Plastics and aluminum can be made into building materials.
It’s important to know what we can recycle and save from landfills. Most importantly is remember the order of the 3 R’s : REDUCE, REUSE, recycle! We at Leisure Time Recycling are passionate about reducing what is in our landfills and that these leftover materials can become new, useful products!