Three types of waste you (maybe) don't know where it belongs

Where should the styrofoam be thrown out? And what about pot sherds and paint residues? We are often left with a waste product that we have no idea where to throw away. Therefore, it sometimes ends up standing and 'decorating' on the kitchen table or in the utility room until we get tired of looking at it. And then maybe it just goes out with the residual waste or in the sink. Styrofoam, pot shards, cleaning agents and paint residues are among the types of waste we most often have doubts about when we have to get rid of them. We have therefore created a small guide to help you on your way, so that you become a master of waste sorting, and the waste goes to the right place. Here are some waste tips for you, so you can save time the next time you are in doubt about where these waste products should be thrown away.

Styrofoam

Where should the styrofoam be thrown out? You have probably been in contact with styrofoam from an electronic gadget such as a coffee machine, a television or a similar fragile object that needed to be packed extra well in a cardboard box. We throw the cardboard box away as cardboard waste, but what do we do with the styrofoam?
Styrofoam consists primarily of air and a bit of plastic, but it cannot be recycled in quite the same way as household plastic. Therefore, it should not be in the plastic container. In principle, it can be thrown away as household waste, but it is far better for the environment to take it to the recycling station. Pure, white styrofoam is collected here so that it can be reused, among other things as insulation material.

Porcelain and ceramics

The bad luck can occur and a plate is broken. There are far too many shards, so unfortunately it cannot be glued together again. Then it must be thrown out. But how? Can we throw porcelain and ceramics in the glass container? No, actually we can't.
They are not made of the same material. Porcelain and ceramics are primarily made of clay, whereas glass is made of sand. We must therefore not throw away porcelain and ceramics together with glass. It can also destroy the machines that recycle glass. Instead, we can deliver broken porcelain and ceramics to the recycling station. Here it can be thrown away as hazardous waste or in a special container for the purpose.

Chemical cleaning agents and paints

Where should leftover cleaning agents or paint be thrown away? Often, the empty and cleaned bottles and buckets that have contained cleaning agents and paint can be reused. But what do we do with the content? Paint residues and residues from harsh cleaning agents such as acetic acid and chlorine must not be poured into the sink. Therefore, it is best to save bottles and buckets with residues and instead hand them in for 'dangerous chemicals' at the recycling station. If you have surplus paint scraps bought from a paint dealer, you can also return the scraps to most paint dealers. In this way, we also help the environment and keep our groundwater clean.

Then you have become a little smarter about waste sorting, and it is no problem to get the waste thrown in the right places.