ALBANY — Frank Zeoli can’t believe some of the things people try to recycle. Plastic wrap. Children’s toys. Entire lamps.
For all the efforts to promote the importance of recycling, there’s a dearth of knowledge about which household items actually belong in the bin. Zeoli, the deputy commissioner of Albany’s Department of General Services, observes the most confusion when it comes to recycling plastics. The category of recyclable plastics is narrower than most people realize, he explained — hard plastic containers like soda bottles and milk jugs can be recycled; but flimsier items like plastic bags, straws and packaging typically are not.
Plastics are so arduous to recycle that many environmental advocates believe the only way forward is to dramatically reduce how much of the material consumers use. In the state Legislature, advocates are backing a bill that would require companies to cut down on plastic packaging for products sold in New York. Albany’s recycling program is taking a similar approach, Zeoli said, and placing more emphasis on plastic reuse and reduction in recent years…