How to recycle

The one & only JASA recycle list

JASA would love to help you on your recycle quest, and in the list below we explain some things to keep in mind when you are going to recycle your waste and belongings. How do you recognize different materials? Where should you throw out different types of waste, to ensure a quick kick off of efficient waste recycling? We explain it to you in 17 points, to make sure you can play your part in the recycling system.

1. Glass. Probably the easiest material from the list. Woke up with a hangover after a fun night with your friends? Your headache should not stop you from bringing those empty bottles to the bottle bank. Just like the green jars that used to contain your pickles, or the broken flutes from the prosecco: to the bottle bank with them!

2. Drink cartons. Milk, juice, yoghurt. All of the drink cartons have a plastic coating on the inside, to be airtight and to be suitable to contain fluids. That coating can be recycled, so put it in the plastic bin! Don’t forget to separate the cap before throwing out the carton, since that’s probably made of rubber.

3. Plastic containers. That Caesar salad, your sushi from the Japanese take-out: they are all packed in a plastic container. In some cases you can use the container again, after washing it carefully, but most of the time they end up in the bin after being used. The plastic bin, obviously.

4. Cover foils. On top of the container of the salad, there is a foil to keep your healthy dish fresh and clean. This can be recycled after you throw it out with the other plastics.

5. Plastic bags. Of course, it is better to not use plastic bags at all, but to use a sustainable canvas bag. And buy apples in a tray with a paper sleeve around it, instead of apples in a plastic bag. But quite often your bread is wrapped in an old school plastic bag, so you don’t have a choice. To the plastic bin with it!

6. Doypacks. Most Doypacks contain plastic. Typically, the Doypack is airtight or resealable, and the sealing often contains plastic or laminated paper. So Doypacks also belong with the other plastics!

7. PET bottles. Clearly plastic. And in the Netherlands you get some money back when you hand them in, in the store where you bought them.

8. Paper. In the waste-paper bin. Unless you used it to wipe your nose, wrapped fish in it, or used it to dry wet surfaces. The fibers in the paper will be severely damaged, and it cannot be used for anything anymore. Put it with the residual waste.

9. Coated paper. Some sleeves, fancy bags from the designer shop around the corner, the cover of your glossy, or chic shiny paper cartons. They often contain plastic, and should be disposed of in the plastic bin. If not, it will say so on the cover.

10. Carton. In the waste-paper bin. Unless your moving box was stored under a leaking roof. Unfortunately, in that case the carton cannot be recycled, and should be thrown out with the residual waste.

11. Batteries and battery packs, or nail polish. Chemical stuff. Oh noooo. Seriously, only throw these things out in the authorized disposal stations at the supermarket or town hall. Also, there are cars driving around on a regular time schedule, to pick up these materials at your house.

12. The shampoo bottle, or the moisturizer jar. They are made of either plastic or glass. Most of the time the caps are made of plastic. So you can check this, and go on a hike to the right bin. The labels are destroyed in the process. For the die-hard recyclers: soak of the labels and throw them with the residual waste.

13. Pottery. It is a saying: shards bring luck. But after receiving that luck, where do you take the shards? Throw them out with the residual waste, pottery does not belong in the bottle bank!

14. Vegetables, fruit and garden waste. One possibility is to make your own compost. Although we would not recommend that, unless you have a big yard... You can put your greens in the green bin. It will be emptied at regular times. Unfortunately, not all the cities use green bins yet, if that is the case you can throw your greens out with the residual waste.

15. Your old television, iron or laptop. You can take those to the stores where you buy a new one.

16. Furniture. The thrift shop is a lovely option, but sometimes a chair is no longer safe to sit on, or is no longer usable. In that case you can put it with the bulky waste, and it will be picked up at regular times.

17. Clothes and linens. You can give your old clothes and linens to the thrift shop, or put them in the containers that collect clothes to reuse. The downside of that option is that the clothes will be exported to third world countries, which hinders the growth of micro economies. There is an interesting story to read about that.