The city requires me to separate paper and plastic into two different bins. I have been tearing the plastic windows out of envelopes (you know the kind you get from businesses) before sticking them into the paper bin. Do I even have to do this? And if I do, can I put the plastic window part I rip out into the plastic recycling bin?
Generally, recycling authorities will tell you stuff like this if its important. I would just put the whole envelope in the paper recycling. My authority (Edinburgh) doesn't accept envelopes at all, though, because of the glue!
If your city requires you to separate plastic from paper, then separate them, but my city just gives you one recycle bin, so all the recyclables go in one bin, it's easier for us, harder for our city.
You don't have to do this, but it will be easier for the city recycling center to recycle it. Yes, you can put the plastic window part into the plastic recycling bin. :D
most authorities in the UK have a quoter or lee way of non recyclables allowed into each category i.e. paper, plastic, compostables, tin, aluminium, glass, natural fabrics. In my council borough they will not empty if they see something within the contents of the bin that isn't within that separate category. In our local paper a lady had accidentally put the inner tube of a loo roll in her glass bin and they refused to take it and they also sent her a severe letter threating legal action if she did it again, she was 88 so i suppose she should have known better at her age! but anyway the more you separate the better for the environment. as for the plastic window i don't know but if you do find out can you tell me to.
In our community, they tell us that the plastic is so negligible, that's its OK to toss those window envelopes in with the regular mixed paper. It seems that every community has a different recycling program ~ perhaps it would be best if you called your local recycling carrier and asked them directly.
