Technologies

Are You Recycling Your Plastics the Right Way? What You Need to Know

Not all plastics are created equal, and the same goes for recycling them.

Recycling your plastics is a great way to help the environment, but you can’t simply toss any water bottle or cellophane wrapper into the recycling bin — some plastics are better off in the trash. And if you don’t clean your recyclable plastics properly, they could end up contaminating other recyclables.

Plastic that isn’t recycled is either put in landfills or incinerated, or it finds its way into the oceans. Incinerating plastics produces carbon dioxide, which is responsible for the total energy imbalance causing the Earth’s temperature to rise, according to NOAA Climate.gov. If placed in a landfill, plastic can take anywhere from five to 600 years to decompose, depending on what type it is. The average time it takes a plastic bottle to decompose is 450 years.

Here’s what the experts have to say about recycling plastics. For more information, here’s which takeout containers are recyclable.

How to recycle plastic

Recycling plastic might be more difficult than you think. You need to rinse out any food and liquids (other than water) from the containers before you can put them in the bin. If the plastic isn’t clean, a recycling center employee told CNET, it could contaminate an entire load of plastics, causing the recycling center to send the whole batch to a landfill.

When recycling plastic bottles, check to see if they say «crush to conserve» on the label. If so, remove the lid and crush the bottle by twisting from the top and pressing it down. After it’s crushed, place the lid back on the bottle so it can also be recycled.

Know which plastics are recyclable

All plastics are not equal. Many people toss all their plastics in the recycling bin without knowing if it’s recyclable or not. If it’s not an accepted plastic at the recycling center, the employees will toss it in the trash.

So how do you know which plastics are accepted? Contact your local recycling company to see if they accept them. Many recycling companies have additional information on their website for items that can and cannot be recycled. If your local disposal company provides your recycling bin, it may list the information on the bin’s outside.

Plastic containers will typically have numbers on the bottom that denote which kind of plastic it is. For example, #1 and #2 plastics are almost always recyclable, while #6 plastics aren’t always accepted. Also, if the plastic says «compostable,» it must be composted and not recycled.

What else can I do?

The first step to preventing plastic waste is to limit your use of non-reusable plastics, like plastic bottles. Instead, opt for glass or hard plastic bottles that you can refill and use daily. Here are other ways to help.

Use reusable straws instead of plastic straws.
Avoid using plastic utensils unless they can be washed and reused.
Recycle plastic bags, see if your local grocery store or recycling center will take them.
Use cloth shopping bags.
Stop wasting Solo cups and choose glass or reusable plastic cups instead.
Reuse plastic items. Tobias Haider, a research associate at PlastX, told CNET in 2022 that «plastic products would not be a problem if we reused them.»
Remember that plastic foam isn’t recyclable and that includes egg cartons, packaging and peanuts. If you have quite a bit of plastic foam lying around your house, contact schools in your area to see if they can use it for projects.

Technologies

Formula 1 Fans Can Now Explore Race Circuits With Apple’s New Maps Guide

F1 fans can get revved up for the approaching season with a tech boost from Apple Maps.

If you’re a Formula 1 fan and have your iPhone handy, you might want to check out Apple Maps. Apple on Wednesday added a new guide for its Maps app showcasing the race tracks for next month’s Australian Grand Prix.

Users can explore a detailed, 3D version of Melbourne’s Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit directly in Apple Maps and find details for all 24 tracks of the season with the Formula 1 Tracks From Around The World guide. It can also be found on the Apple TV Formula 1 Channel.

Currently, the only location done up in 3D is the Albert Park map, where you can explore the F1 Pit Garage, stadiums and more. Apple will continue to add more 3D tracks throughout the year.

The updated maps include:

Grand Prix Elements: Kerbs are shown on the maps to match the real-life experience, along with grandstands and pedestrian footbridges, all in 3D and labeled. All 14 of the circuit’s turns are also labeled.
Pop-Up Locations: Attendees will easily find entrance gates, restrooms, water stations, first aid and merchandise stands. Walking paths are shown directly on the maps, with walking directions available for grandstands.
3D Grand Prix Circuit Landmarks: The Pit Building, Lakeside Stadium (Bob Jane Stadium), Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Center, and the Finish Line are all prominently highlighted and showcased.
3D Melbourne Landmarks: Attendees looking to explore further can find several of Melbourne’s landmarks detailed in 3D in Maps.

Last year, Apple paid $140 million for exclusive F1 streaming rights in the US.

Technologies

Instagram Will Alert Parents if Teens Repeatedly Search for Self-Harm and Suicide Terms

The change applies to accounts using parental supervision tools.

Instagram will soon alert some parents if their teen repeatedly tries to search for terms related to suicide or self-harm within a short period. Instagram owner Meta said on Thursday that it’s rolling out the new notifications to parents in the US, UK, Australia and Canada, with other regions to follow later this year.

Thursday’s update follows the 2024 introduction of teen accounts. It applies to parents using the platform’s optional parental supervision setting, which requires consent from both teens and their parents to participate. Parental supervision allows parents to see the accounts their teen follows, set a time limit for how long their teen can use the app and more.

If teens repeatedly make suicide-related searches, parents will receive alerts via in-app notifications and email, text or WhatsApp, depending on available contact information. In addition to informing parents of their teen’s searches, notifications will allow them to «view expert resources designed to help them approach potentially sensitive conversations with their teen,» according to Meta.

Meta said it would prompt an alert if a teen attempted to search for phrases promoting suicide or self-harm and phrases that suggest a teen wants to harm themselves. The company said its policy is to block searches for self-harm and suicide content and direct people to resources and helplines.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Feb. 27 #726

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Feb. 27, No. 726.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle was tough for me. Some of the answers are long and difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: It’s a little much

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Whoa, that’s plenty!

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

LURE, HARK, HARKEN, LATE, SORE, ROSE, TEAL, LATER, GLUE, GLUED, PLUS, LESS, GLARE

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

GLUT, EXCESS, SURPLUS, OVERKILL, REDUNDANCY

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is ENOUGHALREADY. To find it, start with the E that’s four letters to the right on the top row, and wind down and around.

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