Stickers Landfill (Trash) Cart Stickers on fruits and veggies may be small, but they can have a big impact! Stickers down the drain = Problems in the wastewater treatment system! Stickers in the compost bin = Plastic in the compost used to grow food! How can you help? Remove stickers from your produce when you first get home from the store so you don’t forget! Shop at a farm stand or the Napa Farmers Market where they don’t use produce stickers. Reuse them to create a work of art! Don’t want to create art? Stickers go in the landfill cart! Stickers Go in the Garbage Stickers may seem like paper, but their adhesive backing is not recyclable and can contaminate paper recycling. Toss stickers — and the backing sheets they come on — in the garbage. Small Stickers OK on Paper & Cardboard You can still recycle paper that has a small sticker or two. Paper containing large or many pieces of stickers must be thrown away in the garbage if the stickers are not able to be peeled away. Don't Compost Produce Stickers Be sure to pick stickers off of your produce before tossing them in the compost! Otherwise, they can contaminate the compost and clog sewer pipes. Ways to Reduce Donate Unwanted Stickers If you have a lot of stickers left over from a craft project, consider giving them to someone who will use them. Say “No” to Free Stickers A lot of organizations like to hand out promotional stickers to advertise their company or cause. If you refuse them in the first place, you won’t take home something you’ll need to throw away later. Buy Produce from the Farmers' Market To avoid produce stickers, buy your fruits and vegetables at a local farmers’ market! Use Eco-friendly Labels If you use labels for packages, choose environmentally-friendly options. Examples include labels utilizing “compostable adhesives” and “zero waste label liners.” Ways to Reuse Use Up That Sticker Collection Have a collection of stickers but not sure what to do with them? You can put stickers on nearly anything. Check out these ideas from First Quarter Finance or Bucks and Cents to get started. Did You Know? How to Remove Sticker Residue Need to remove sticker residue? There are a lot of methods you can try, many of which you probably have on hand, including using a hair dryer, nail polish remover (acetone), rubbing alcohol and lemon oil (or other types of oil). Get step-by-step instructions from Better Homes & Gardens.
