Milwaukee’s recycling program has begun moving over to “single-stream” recycling. What is single-stream recycling? Simply a style of recycling which does not have near the sorting requirements of traditional recycling where different types of glass metal and plastics are separated depending on the material. Not only will Milwaukee’s move to single-stream make recycling more convenient for participants, it will also enable Milwaukee to accept more types of material such as used pots and pans. The change to Milwaukee’s recycling plan will also reduce the use of oil which is also a plus. 

In many cities, the specifics of recycling programs are not well communicated, so the impact of the single-stream recycling shift may not immediately be understood by Milwaukee residents. Many people do not realize that much of the plastics sent off to be recycled often end up in a land fill as a resulting from limited supply of particular types of plastics. With plastics, the interest of recycling facilities is based on surplus. Many types of plastic sent to recycling facilities ultimately end up in a landfill. However, with the single-stream move, larger quantities of recyclable material will be collected as no manual sorting is required. Juice and soup cartons can even be recycled now for the thin layer of plastic the cartons contain. 

Some of the material your Milwaukee professional movers use during your move can certainly be recycled. Moving boxes to plastic bubble wrap to newsprint wrapping can be recycled after your move is over. Overall, the transition to single-stream recycling for Milwaukee sounds like an excellent move!