Recycling at home has become a good habit many Portland residents have gotten into. But there is a change with statewide recycling that could have serious implications. You might not know this but most of the mixed paper and plastics that are collected for recycling are actually shipped to China for processing. But now China has decided it is going stop accepting a long list of specific items. What does this mean for your recycling? You can and should keep it up but you might have to do even more pre-sorting.

It’s not just Oregon that is feeling the impact but states and countries around the world. This is creating a backlog that might force some recyclers to process disposal requests at landfills. Just what is being objected to? It would be all those things a lot of folks consider to be “wishful recyclables.” In other words, it is a lot of things folks wish could be recycled but in realty aren’t accepted in the flow. Here are some of the specific items that should be kept out of the municipal recycling bins for curbside pickup:

• plastic bags
• film plastics
• liquids
• food
• soiled packaging
• plastic clamshells
• garden hoses
• wire hangers
• textiles
• diapers
• electronics
• batteries

What happens to all of those items? They should be put into the regular trash for now until a system is put in place to handle those kinds of recyclables.

That takes care of most kitchen trash but what about bigger items like furniture, clothing, appliances and e-waste? Can those be recycled? Actually, they can if you work with a company like Junk King Portland.

Junk King has dedicated itself to keeping as much of what they collect out of local landfills. This doesn’t automatically mean everything gets recycled. Instead, a lot of what they collect that is still useable can be dropped off at charitable organizations. A lot of those groups hire folks to fix and refurbish those items. That means creating jobs and creating items for those in need. Bottom line: We all need to be careful about recycling. When it comes to recycling the big stuff, you can always count on Junk King Portland to get that job done.

Everyone knows recycling is a good idea. Not only does it help support the air we breathe and the water we drink but it also can save money in the long run. Today’s generation of kids are growing up in a world that recycles. That’s a great lesson for them to pass on to the next generation. Can you remember a time when you didn’t recycle? It might not have been that long ago! Here are some interesting recycling facts that everyone should know:

How fast does recycled materials turnaround? The soda can you toss out into the recycling bin today could make its way back onto a grocery shelf within 60 days. That’s pretty fast.

Right now, the US has a 34% recycling rate. If we could collectively raise that rate to 75% then it would be as if we removing 50 million cars from the road. That’s how much CO2 would be saved.

The CIA has a very robust recycling program. They burn all their classified documents and use that energy to heat the water in the headquarters. That’s very smart.

Recycling paper has been around a long time. In fact, there is a record from 1031 that shows Japanese shops sold re-pulped paper. If we could recycle a single Sunday worth of New York Times newspapers, then we would save 75,000 trees.

When it comes to recycling programs, there’s always room for improvement. For instance 90% of plastic bags in the US are not recycled. That means they can either end up in a landfill where they can take hundreds of years to decompose or become garbage in the oceans causing severe problems for marine life.

Every hour, Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles. Recycling 1 ton of those plastic bottles is the equivalent energy use of powering a two-person household for an entire year.

It’s clear that recycling is very important for our future. It’s also something that doesn’t have to be complicated or take a lot of effort. Consider getting rid of your unwanted junk like old furniture, electronics or other household goods. Those can all be recycled if you hire the right company to begin with. That company would be Junk King Portland.

Junk King has set up working partnerships with recycling center and charities throughout the area. Anytime they can make a drop off to those organizations they are helping Portland stay clean. Recycling your unwanted junk is easy when you turn the job over the Junk King Portland.