Many people are a bit confused about how to recycle properly. Knowing how to prepare items for regular recycling is integral in recovering resources and minimizing landfill waste. There are other ways to recycle compostables and other items, but for regular recycling, follow these simple tips to Recycle Right:
No plastic bags of any kind. No Styrofoam and other hard-to-recycle plastics (there are other ways to recycle this).
- Empty and rinse bottles, cans, and containers to remove food or beverage residue
- Do not bag recyclables (even in paper bags) - they should be loose in the cart
- Flatten boxes
- Leave the caps on plastic bottles and milk jugs – do not crush!
- Remove tops from glass bottles (tops smaller than 2 inches should be thrown in the garbage)
- Remove wax bags from food boxes (such as cereal or cracker boxes)
- Labels can remain on jars/bottles and plastic windows on envelopes
- Keep the lid on your recycling cart closed at all times to keep materials dry