This biweekly column tries to answer some of the most commonly-asked questions about recycling, composting and the town's solid waste program.
Q: Could you clarify what to do about recycling can and jar lids?
A: For metal cans (such as soup cans), cut most of the way around but leave it connected to the main part of the can. Clean it carefully. The problem with cutting the lid off entirely is that having it loose in the bin might be dangerous for the recycling workers, due to the sharp edges.
For cans of frozen juice concentrate, the metal part that comes off neatly can be rinsed and put in the bin. Jar lids that are just metal can be recycled. The metal ones with a rubber liner must be put into the trash. Plastic container lids marked with the recycling number inside a triangle can be cleaned and put into the bin. If there is no number, put them into the trash. Drink cartons (milk, juice, etc.) can be rinsed and put into the bin, but remove and throw away the plastic caps. Similarly, with plastic jugs, rinse and recycle the jugs but throw away the caps.
Q: I have a bunch of drinking glasses I want to get rid of. They seem enough like jars to me that I don't understand why I can't recycle them.
A: In the first place, it's always better to re-use something rather than to recycle it (or throw it away). Give your drinking glasses to Goodwill or another charity. Drinking glass sometimes has different ingredients from food container glass (to help with heat resistance, among other things), and so can't be recycled with the glass containers.
If you have broken glass of any sort, it needs to be trashed, for the safety of the workers at the recycling sorting facility. Another type of reusable glass is intact windows. If you are replacing windows that are still good, call the Building Materials Resource Center at (617) 4428917 or see their web site at http://www.bostonbmrc.org/ to donate them.
Reminders:
The next Household Hazardous Waste collection is on July 19th, from 9 AM until 2 PM, at 60 Hartwell Ave. There will be a CRT and electronics collection on July 26th from 8 AM until 1 PM at the DPW location at 201 Bedford Street.
Got a question or a suggestion? You can reach us by calling the League of Women Voters line at 781-861-0123 or by e-mail at lexrecycles@hotmail.com. For more information, check out the SWAT Web page at lexington-ma.org/.swat/HomePage.htm, the town's Web site lexington.ma.us (click on the Solid Waste quicklink) or call: 781-274-7298.