What is recycled in the blue container

There is also paper or cardboard waste that should NOT be disposed of in the blue container . It is precisely in these exceptions where recycling errors arise the most . Among these wastes are:

• Used tissues, napkins or kitchen paper.
• Wet or dirty cardboard. for example, pizza boxes, as they are often stained with oil. This is because recycling becomes more difficult.
• Metallic or plastic-coated, waxed or paraffin-coated papers.
• Type containers brick and plastic bags.
• Disposable cardboard cups or glasses and plates.
• Photographic or fax paper.
• Used sanitary napkins, diapers, paper towels and hygiene papers.
• Thermal papers.
• White cork trays.
• Cellophane papers.
• Paper with adhesive or glue residue.
• Carbonless paper and carbon paper.
• Aluminum foils.

Here are some good practices for using the blue container :

• Know what can be thrown in the blue container and what cannot.
• It is highly recommended to cut or fold the papers and cardboard before throwing them into the blue container. In this way, it will be more comfortable and easy to dispose of and they will take up less space in the container so that they can fit more.
• Take care not to leave the large cardboard boxes unmounted next to the container. It does not take much effort to fold or crush them and throw them into the container.
• Always try to reuse paper and cardboard bags to store this kind of waste. Thus, when we go to throw this type of waste into the container, we should not remove it from the bag and we can deposit it all together, thus throwing away a single full bag.
• We must remove the staples, clips, tape and all other materials that are not paper and cardboard.

The percentages of recycling of paper and cardboard in Spain are very high, around 83% of the paper and cardboard that we use is recycled. It was estimated that during 2014, some 4.4 million tons of paper and cardboard waste were transformed into recyclable materials. Among these wastes, 12% (about 528,000 tons) came from municipal systems for the selective collection of containers and packaging and from citizen collaboration and the other 88% (3.5 million tons) from commercial and industrial collection systems, that are promoted by private companies.

Among these 4.4 million tons, up to 80% (3.5 million tons) were destined for the Spanish market and 20% for other markets (6% for the European market and 14% for the Asian market). In addition, the paper industry imported 1.5 million tons. 99% of this import came from the European market, mainly from France and Portugal. This import is due to the need to meet the demand for some qualities that have deficits in the Spanish market, such as whites, due to changes in consumption and reading habits.

These recycling data have made it possible for no paper mill in Spain to have been forced to halt its production due to a lack of recycled raw material and there has also been great energy savings, avoiding the emission of around 4 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, which represents 11% of CO2 emitted compared to the previous year. In short, in the last ten years the management has undergone a great transformation thanks to the different Community directives applied, which have diverted materials from landfill and incineration to obtaining recycled raw materials.

A fundamental role in this transformation has been that of the recovery and recycling sector, which has provided the resources and investments necessary to be able to convert waste into raw materials that are inserted back into the system and has improved environmental and economic efficiency. of past production systems, being a very important basis for the development of the concept of circular economy.

If you want to read more articles similar to What is recycled in the blue container , we recommend that you enter our Recycling and waste management category .