Are Yakult Bottles Recyclable? (5 Helpful Tips)
Most of us drink probiotic milk beverages more than once daily. That’s a significant number of times in a week. This also means that this milk consumption is relatively high.
The greater majority prefer Yakult because it comes in a small portable bottle. The Yakult bottle can fit in your bag or purse and is easy to grab as you leave the house.
Most of our favorite brands package their products in plastic bottles. When you think about the amount of milk we drink in a month, it eventually adds up to the number of bottles we need to dispose of. Undisputedly, we cannot store all these Yakult bottles.
This is the main reason why we thought of this article. To enlighten you on ways to get rid of Yakult bottles so that you don’t harm the environment.
Recycling is a common term everywhere. So, we take a different route by offering fun tips for repurposing and reusing Yakult bottles.
Keep reading to get more information.
Are Yakult Bottles Recyclable?
To determine whether a bottle should make it to the recycling bin, we must examine what materials the bottle is made of. Yakult bottles, for instance, are made of polystyrene. This material is not as easy to recycle as regular plastics. However, it is not impossible.
It is vital to note that not all bottles should be recycled. It does not matter how good the plastic is. You should carefully discard pesticide bottles, engine oil bottles, and herbicide bottles.
If you are curious why these bottles are a no-go zone for recycling, I have just the answer for you. Pesticide bottles, for example, contain toxic chemicals. You might think you have cleaned the bottle thoroughly, but there will always be traces of these chemicals left behind.
Recycling these bottles with other safe to use bottles contaminates the whole bunch. Whether we like it or not, these bottles will be used for packaging food. Besides, bottles are perfect for carrying water.
To avoid all the issues resulting from using such bottles, it is safe to stop recycling them altogether. If you still feel the need to recycle them, do that separately.
Fortunately, Yakult bottles do not contain toxic liquids or chemicals. That aside, there are still a few things to do whenever you want to recycle Yakult bottles. Firstly, ensure you clean them properly, dry them off and send them to the recycling center.
It is essential to also find out of the recycling center accepts Yakult bottles (mainly because of the material). There is a 99.99% chance they will take them, but it is only right to ask. If the closest recycling center does not accept Yakult bottles, there are plenty more that will.
Can You Recycle Yakult Milk Cartons?
To stay as environmentally conscious as possible, we would like to recycle everything. In reality, that is impossible to achieve. Not every material is recyclable. For example, you cannot recycle Yakult milk cartons, and here’s why.
Cartons seem easy to recycle, but that is far from the case. The cardboard material might seem recyclable but take it from me; it isn’t.
You cannot recycle Yakult milk cartons because they are not made from one kind of material. In recycling, you should group materials made from similar products. Plastic bottles go with plastic bottles, and cardboard boxes go with cardboard boxes.
Yakult milk cartons are unsuited for recycling because they are not made from pure cardboard. There is a tiny percentage of plastic included, too.
The outside of Yakult milk cartons is cardboard. However, the inside is lined with plastic, and the cartons have plastic strips to aid in opening.
The whole point of lining Yakult milk boxes with plastic is to keep the moisture out. If Yakult milk is exposed to air or water seeps through, it will ruin the milk. Although you might store these milk cartons away from moisture, accidents happen.
Your Yakult milk cartons might get wet as you wipe the dust off pantry shelves. Such a scenario is not premeditated.
The best thing about Yakult milk cartons (and many other cartons) is that they will decompose after some time. They are not as hard to dispose of as plastic bottles.
Do You Need to Rinse Yakult Bottles Before Recycling?
It is totally up to you to decide whether you will rinse the bottles or not. Yakult bottles do not contain harmful chemicals but taking out all the milk will help immensely. Ensure you empty all the milk from these bottles before sending them to a recycling center.
Rinsing out the bottles makes work easier for those at the center.
Can You Recycle Yakult Bottles for Money?
Most people collect Yakult bottles, clean them, then deliver them to the nearest recycling centers. Most of these centers offer rewards or incentives to those who take plastic bottles to them.
We should recycle plastic bottles, but since many people ignore this, you’ll be saving the center time and money by collecting these bottles.
Plastic bottles harm the environment. If we do not control their disposal, their danger to the environment could quickly spiral out of control.
As a result, recycling centers will give you a bit of cash when you take a load of plastic Yakult bottles to them. Most centers weigh the bottle load. Therefore, ensure your bottles attain a specific minimum weight so that you qualify for the payment.
Ways to Reuse Yakult Bottles
I (like many others) would want recycled plastics to last for a lifetime. However, most plastics need disposal after a few uses. The secret is repurposing these bottles. Here are some beautiful crafts you can try as a DIY project:
Cute Binoculars
Yakult bottles can make a beautiful pair of binoculars. Because they are small in size and can comfortably fit in your palms, you can quickly transform the bottles into binoculars for your kids or yourself.
Lampshade
As weird as it sounds, Yakult bottles can be glued together in some kind of pattern to create a lampshade. Ensure the bulb is at the center and arrange the Yakult bottles properly to ensure you see the light.
Pencil or Brush Holder
Yakult bottles offer the perfect size to use as pencil holders. All you need to do is clean the bottles, remove the label, and paint them (if you wish).
Gadget Organizers
Yakult bottles cut in half with handles attached can act as good organizers for flash disks, staples, and keys.
You can label each of the storage containers so that you know what each is for.
Coffee Table
This is one exciting project to undertake. Once you join Yakult bottles in a coffee table design, the bottles will hold and lead to a beautiful table.
It won’t be sturdy enough to sit on, but it can hold books, candles, and a plate of snacks.
Conclusion
Protecting our environment from harmful waste products is possible through recycling. However, not everyone lives near a recycling center.
Repurposing Yakult bottles is better because you breathe life into waste bottles. We have brought a few ideas to you, which we would love to see brought to life.
Sources
Yakult – Development of environment-friendly containers/packaging
EcoGreenLove: Reusing Actimel and Yakult (probiotic drinks) bottles