News

Out to lunch

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This is another in a series of recycling tips from the City of Covington's Neighborhood Services Department, Solid Waste & Recycling Division.)
 
COVINGTON, Ky. – We don’t want to add to the (dietary) guilt of eating fast food on the go … but we DO want you to recycle smarter, so let’s talk about that drive-thru lunch you just bought and its impact on the waste stream.
 
Why?
 
Because we see a whole lot of stuff in recycling bins that doesn’t belong there.
 
You CAN recycle the paper bag the lunch came in, but only if it’s not covered in food and grease.
 
Everything else? Pretty much “no” on the recycling.
 
Specifically “no” to:
  • Plastic drink cup and straw (not the correct type of plastic).
  • Cardboard burger box, paper burger wraps and French fry containers (coated with a grease-repelling chemical, not to mention grease).
  • Plastic ware (not the correct shape of plastic).
  • "Paper” cup (coated in plastic to keep drinks hot or cold).
  • Napkins, used and unused (made of end-of-life fibers that aren’t strong enough to survive the recycling process). 
Alas, sad but true.
  
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