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Junk Removal And Recycling: A Great Combo

Posted by Junk King on Oct 9, 2020 8:00:00 AM

junk-removal-and-recycling-a-great-combo

 

Taking care of junk removal doesn't always make us think of recycling, but they actually do go hand-in-hand. In fact, they are a natural combination.

The good news is that these activities can be both be accomplished together. 

junk removal service recycling

Junk Removal: Being Smart by Being Green

It really doesn't matter whether you are getting rid of junk from your home or your office, it's all got to go somewhere. 

Most people, it would be safe to say, don't give much thought to where all that junk goes. If they do, they probably assume it goes to a dump somewhere. And, it would also be safe to say that most folks have probably never been to an actual "dump" or landfill. 

This would be understandable. Given that there are close to 328 million people in the United States, and only about 1,250 municipal waste landfills.  And most of the landfills in the United States are located on the West Coast. That means about one active landfill for every 260,000 or so people.

It would be silly to believe that every landfill is visited by more than 700 people a day, every day of the year. That's because they're not. And we don't. 

But far too much of our trash and junk does. 

In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that,

"The total generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) in 2017 was 267.8 million tons ... or 4.51 pounds per person per day. Of the MSW generated, approximately 67 million tons were recycled and 27 million tons were composted."

A bit of quick math reveals that almost 174 million tons of our waste still ends up in the landfills or incinerators. That works out to about 65 percent that isn't recycled, repurposed, or reused. This is unfortunate since the EPA estimates that 75 percent of the American waste stream is recyclable.

When it comes to our typical household or office trash, we often overlook much of what can actually be recycled. Here is a graphic checklist of common household items that can be recycled:

 

10_household_items_you_can_recycle

In addition to these common "trash" items that we usually just throw away, there are larger items that we dispose of, as well.

furniture removal guide group 2

Junk Removal: Recycling the Big Stuff

Larger household goods and office equipment are items that we may consider as reusable or things that can be re-sold. And these are great options for disposing of furniture, appliances, and other large items that are in good condition and still working. But what about the things that are not?

The fact is that these items can almost always be recycled or repurposed somehow or somewhere.

When your old appliance or piece of furniture isn't suitable for re-selling or donating, the best option is to have that dead appliance or broken furniture disassembled and the components recycled.

According to Recyclebank, there is great value in junk items made with metal,

"Steel is the most recycled material in North America. The metal comes not only from cans but also from construction scraps, automobiles, and appliances, and it can be turned right back into steel that can be used in the same applications.”

It's important to make sure your old appliances or furniture items are reused and their recylable materials recovered. This is always far better than having them end up in your local landfill,  assuming that you have a landfill facility will even take them.

For some appliances - especially those with refrigerants - any hazardous components must first be removed and properly disposed of. 

Then, depending on the appliance, any reusable parts are recovered. Finally, the remaining materials are distributed for recycling, which keeps metal, plastic, and glass out of the landfills, while reducing the demand for extracting or producing new materials.

Because most appliances are made primarily of metals, the recycling of large quantities of steel, aluminum,and copper saves energy, resources, and money. In other words, recycling is a far more efficient approach for junk removal than dumping.

When appliances are properly recycled, it also prevents the release of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl), toxic metals like mercury, and used oils. These are all hazardous wastes that damage the environment and are harmful to people and animals.

And the best part of all is that green junk removal through recycling is not something you have to carry out yourself. In fact, that might not even be possible for you. But at Junk King, we've got you covered!

full service junk removal

Your Partners for Junk Removal Firm and Recycling

On advantage to having a professional firm remove your junk and even your household trash is not having that unsightly junk and debris taking up space. The other advantage that comes from having Junk King being your junk removal partner is that you can know that most of it will be recycled or reused.

Junk King is proud to be North America’s greenest residential junk removal service. We pioneered recycling based junk removal in 2005 and have been going greener ever since. We sort each and every job for metals, e-waste, paper, household goods, textiles, furniture and appliances, in our recycling warehouses.

But “going green” also means we donate, repurpose, and reuse everything from  furniture, clothing, and toys, to computers, office furniture, and equipment. We run many of our trucks run on biodiesel, a domestically produced fuel made from more environmentally safe non-petroleum, renewable resources.

Junk King is committed to continuing to lead the way to help keep our planet clean, green and beautiful for the generations to come.

Our team specializes in trash and junk removal and we can be at your home in mere minutes, so call us today! Our crew is fully insured and well-trained, so you can trust them to get rid of your unwanted items in a professional and courteous fashion.

If you have questions about what we do or what we believe, call us at 1-888-888-JUNK (5865).

 

full service junk removal

Topics: Residential Junk Removal, Recycling, junk recycling, office junk removal, junk removal services

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