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Whether it’s something you’ve always wondered about, some information you just can’t put your hands on or a sudden curiosity, we want to hear it.
Send your queries to sara.mannal@patch.com, leave them in the comments section below, and I will do my best to dig up an answer for you.
We asked Bob Lovell, with the Town of Barnstable, to clear up a few of our questions about recycling.
Q. What are the most frequently made mistakes when recycling?
A. People think just because an item has a recycling number that it can be recycled. Styrofoam and plastic grocery bags can't be recycled for example.
Q. Can you recycle tide containers without washing them out?
A. Washing out a tide container is nearly impossible. Rinsing the containers is good.
Q. Should you take the lids off water or soda bottles before recycling?
A. The lids do not have to be removed.
Q. Can you recycle a piece of plastic that does not display the little recycle symbol? Many containers don't have it.
A. No item without a recycling symbol can be recycled.
Q. What about cream containers, they seem like they are paper or cardboard, but have a plastic coating, can they be recycled?
A. No, the waxing coating is not recyclable.
Q. Do you need to tear off the clear plastic from a spaghetti box before recycling it?
A. No
Q. Any other common mistakes, I may not have mentioned?
A. Soiled paper products should be kept out of the recycling bins, such as dirty pizza boxes.