Introducing Stump the Green Maven!

February 2026

The Green Maven

Introducing Stump the Green Maven

By Chris Wynn & Sharon Smaller

Last week, we celebrated Tu B’shvat.This holiday is also known as the Feast of the Fruits and traditionally is a time when we celebrate the many gifts that trees bring, from bearing fruit and nuts to producing oxygen and improving air quality. More broadly, the holiday reminds us of the Jewish value of being good stewards of the planet and all living things.

This brings us to touch on two topics in this blog: recycling and some encouraging news on our water quality and microplastics. Also, in this issue, we are debuting a new blog feature called Stump the Green Maven. Beth Emet member Reva Denlow sent in the following question:

Hi, Green Maven—I am constantly feeling like I don’t know the right thing to do with plastic in our weekly recycling.  It used to be a little clearer when the numbers in the triangles meant something. Now there are so many types of plastic that are not clearly labeled or that recycling these things depends on what your town accepts. Also, the plastic bags that grapes come in, the rectangular plastic containers that salads come in, and the plastic on top – are these recyclable?  And there are probably lots more examples.  Perhaps others are interested in these dilemmas, but I suspect there are few clear answers.  Cans and glass are less problematic. But is it true that leaving a metal cap or cover on a glass bottle/jar is the better thing to do? Or not?
Thanks for any help you may have.    

Green Maven’s reply: It’s very frustrating when you are doing your part and trying to do the right thing, but don’t know what the rules are.

Part of the problem is that things are always changing. We did a deep dive to research and share with you some helpful resources and information.

We are lucky enough to live in communities that really care about recycling and have facilities set up to aid the recycling process. They have also provided many resources for us to understand the recycling process and how we can be good partners in the process.

If you visit a recycling facility, you will learn that the recycling facility doesn’t actually recycle the materials, but its role is to sort the different raw materials (paper, aluminum, glass, and plastic) and bale those materials up and then find markets for those baled materials. Recycling centers are actually Materials Recovery Facilities and we will refer to them as MRF in what follows.

For those who want to understand more about this process, here’s a link to a wonderful video showing you behind the scenes at Lakeshore Recycling Center’s MRF. It offers a fascinating view of the newest technology used to sort and process a wide variety of materials after they are collected curbside. Learn How to Recycle Smarter | LRS.

So how can we be the best partners in this process? Only put things in your recycling bin that can truly be recycled. Many of us put things in the bin either because we are confused and don’t know, or want to “wish” recycle because we feel guilty about throwing away so much plastic.

Given the glut of plastic everywhere, we cannot avoid plastic, but throwing all types of plastic in the recycling bin isn’t the answer as it just slows the process at the facilities and ultimately ends up in the landfill anyways.

What can you put into your recycling bin (again, this is subject to change because the technology and market demand shifts)?

• Plastics with the labels #1 and #2 only (plastic milk jugs, water and juice bottles, for example). These are the most marketable and are remade into similar products.
• Plastics with #5 (e.g., yogurt and butter containers) but they have a lesser marketability.

If you can’t determine the number or another type of number is listed than 1,2 & 5, please put these in the garbage as they will just slow the sorting process. Some plastic takeout containers, like the salad clamshell style with their lids, can be recycled if they are types 1, 2, & 5 but just make sure that you clean them thoroughly.

Here are a couple of handy resources for what goes in your recycling bin:

Recycle Coach app. This phone app will prompt you to put in your city and then tailor information about what goes in your bin for that specific location.

Here’s a link from  Solid Waste Association of Northern Cook County about what you should avoid putting in your recycle bin: SWANCC | Keep Crap Out of the Cart.

But a few important things about your curbside recycling bin:

• Don’t put plastic bags in your curbside recycling bin. These plastic “film” bags are recycled in a different manner and there are collection sites at local grocery stores and other drop off sites.
• Don’t put the thicker plastic bags like those used for grapes and other fruits and veggies in your curbside recycling.
• Never put your recycling in plastic bags. They will just be put in the landfill and slow down the sorting process. Plus, we are trying to eliminate the reliance on plastic even though your inside container gets a little dirty.
• Please make sure the things you do recycle are clean and free of food. This makes the material free of contamination and a lot more recyclable.
• Tetra packs and cartons are recyclable. The lids are not, so throw them out. The loose tiny little lids can get caught in the machinery and again slow things down
• On the other hand and this is confusing, beverage and glass containers need to have lids kept on—liquids gone, lids on—even if metal.

We wish the curbside household recycling process was simpler. Like most things, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

On a different note, we also wanted to include some news on microplastics that we found heartening. Dayenu member Mark Schoenfield asked the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago about whether there is any specific treatment of wastewater to reduce microplastic contaminants before release for human use or other usage? If so, what percentage of microplastics are removed? He heard back from John Joiner, President Kari K. Steele’s Chief of Staff at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago:

Existing, wastewater treatment plants employ various processes to reduce microplastic before discharging treated water. While these facilities are not specifically designed to target microplastics, they can achieve significant removal efficiencies through existing treatment processes:

He then went on to say that primary treatment of wastewater through sedimentation and skimming removes approximately up to 59% of microplastics and that secondary and tertiary treatments can remove from 88% to 94% of microplastics.

This is positive news for those of us living in the Chicago-metropolitan region and can give us more confidence about our drinking water quality.

Green Maven readers, if you have questions about recycling, options for food and water storage, composting, community solar and related concerns, please send in your Stump the Green Maven questions to Chris Wynn (bcwynn@sbcglobal.net) and we will answer them in a future blog.