Penalty on the Play: Recycle Right While Tailgating

It's that time of year again! With college football, Packers games, and the much anticipated Super Bowl, tailgating season is already in full swing. As you’re cheering on your favorite sports teams, Brown County Resource Recovery is reminding fans to recycle right.

“Take a look around parking lots and backyards after tailgating parties, and you’ll see some pretty big messes,” said Mark Walter, Resource Recovery Business Manager. “We want people to have fun while tailgating, but we also want them to clean up after they’re done having fun. We all make plans to have food and drinks at our parties, so we’re just asking that you extend that a bit and have a plan in place for clean-up and recycling.”

Walter suggests the following tips to recycle right while tailgating:

• If you can recycle it at home, then you can recycle it at the game. Collect and separate your cans, bottles and other items that can be recycled.

• Food items and most take-out food containers are NOT recyclable, so they should go in the garbage. The only exception is pizza boxes, which can be recycled whether or not they have pizza grease on them.

• Disposable tableware and drinkware are NOT recyclable; no matter if they’re paper, plastic or Styrofoam. These should be placed in the garbage. Better yet, serve foods that you won’t need tableware to eat (sandwiches, dips and chips, cookies, etc.) which will reduce the use of items that have to be thrown out.

• Make sure that you properly dispose of coals from your grill. Many stadiums have disposal sites and you can usually check online to find out the location.

• Give yourself ten minutes to clean up the area around your vehicle before going into the game. This will cut down on issues with bees, birds and other animals that could get into the garbage.

“We appreciate the efforts our residents have been making with recycling and encourage that to continue,” added Walter. “Keep in mind that just because you hope something is recyclable doesn’t mean it is. If you’re not sure if you should recycle an item, it’s better to throw it out so you don’t contaminate that load of recycling and do more harm than good. Instead, follow these tips for recycling right and have fun at your next tailgating party.”