wax paper v foil v parchment

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We supposedly have strict laws here now in NYC. People do bag stuff up separately and put them in different designated bins. Only to have the garbage guys come by and toss ALL the bags and different bins into the backs of the SAME garbage truck. Then the compactor comes down and mashes and breaks open all the bags and all the materials get mixed together. There is no real recycling here, no matter how many laws get created, unless a company hires their own sanitation pick up.

Exactly why I said people generally know how their area is. Obviously if you see the same vehicle being used it's a good sign it's doing no good but when I watch every Tuesday 3 trucks go by and pick up separately throughout the day (trash, recycling, yard waste although recycling is every other week) and when I see all the news stories about my area regarding recycling information/plants/procedures I can feel more confident in the knowledge. Plus I live right by the compost facility for the yard waste (which is now taking some food waste as well) where you can pick up free mulch.

People will know if their area is no good at this stuff and will act accordingly. I'm not going to throw away foil that can be recycled ,according to my area's guidelines, because I know there's a higher chance it will be recycled in my particular area. But I know if I do throw away foil that can be recycled it will be put in the landfill.

What I meant was that if one has a choice of whether to pick the material that is recyclable or one that is biodegradable, pick the biodegradable as there is no guarantee that the recyclable one WILL be recycled.

true but that material may or may not be suited for all things. Silicone, wax, freezer and parchment paper, foil, etc all have their uses. Foil and silicone mats are what we used for the majority of our cooking. Foil is used in many of our recipes for usage in the oven on top of food to help prevent burning, it's used on the grill when we make pouch-style things like chicken or meat (we don't eat seafood).

Silicone isn't biodegradable but I've been using the same set for years vs buying a bunch of parchment, wax or freezer paper so that counts for something lol

 

[PollyannaMom]

People do bag stuff up separately and put them in different designated bins. Only to have the garbage guys come by and toss ALL the bags and different bins into the backs of the SAME garbage truck.

I've seen that here too.
Supposedly, there is some sort of divider in the truck, but I can't tell if it's really working.

 

[amcnj]

Unfortunately even if the recycling is picked up separately, it might not all actually be recycled. Some depends on market demand at the time, such as the current need for cardboard/paper. And then there is plastic, about which I have read stories telling the very low percentage of what is picked up that is actually recycled.

But we can only do our part and hope that what we set aside is actually being recycled. And accept that even some of the material being recycled is better than none.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Whelp, good thing I asked or I would have had a fireball from wax paper too like poor @lovesmurfs. Yikes, I thought they were interchangeable as well.

I'll look for the cleanest parchment I can find, that seems to be the most recommended option.