Recycling 101: What May Actually be Trash

Recycled material from curbside collection

We have a giant recycling bin for our family.  Its just as big as our garbage container (though I wonder about that).  I also wonder about the fact that our local garbage and recycling company picks up trash every week, but recyclables only twice a month!  We could roll that bin out to the curb every single week!

But I digress.  The real focus of this article is on reviewing what items can be recycled and which ones may actually be trash.  Even if that plastic container has a recycling icon on the bottom, you may not be able to include it with your mixed home recycling.

Here are some general recycling guidelines with respect to curbside recycling for consideration.  Check with your own local recycling company for specific details:

Items that CAN be recycled:

• Newspapers, inserts, magazines, phone books, paper bags, catalogs, junk mail
• Plastic bottles larger than 6 ounces, rinsed out
• Plastic plant pots at least 4 inches in size
• Plastic buckets less than 5 gallons
• Plastic milk jugs, rinsed outs
• Plain, flattened corrugated cardboard
• Clean pizza boxes that are not covered with a bunch of grease
• Cereal and cracker boxes
• Shoe boxes
• Soda and beer cartons
• Paper towel tubes
• Egg cartons
• Plastic water bottles
• Aluminum cans
• Tin foil
• Tin cans (usually the paper can be left on), rinsed out
• Some types of wrapping paper
• Clear and colored glass bottles and jars
• Residential motor oil – do not pour into the bin.  Set aside into a container labeled “motor oil,” and place next to bin

Items that CANNOT be recycled (at least not with co-mingled recycling):

• Plastic shopping bags
• Lids on plastic containers
• Lids on milk jugs
• Plastic film (saran wrap)
• Clamshell containers
• Plastic cutlery
• Cardboard with wax or slick lining
• Tissue or waxed paper
• Foil-lined wrapping paper
• Frozen food cardboard boxes
• Paper cups, plates, napkins or towels
• Pet food bags
• Milk or juice cardboard cartons
• Batteries
• Styrofoam packing peanuts
• Electronics

Should you trash it?

You might wonder if there is a method to the madness?  Are these guidelines just arbitrary?

No – they are intended to protect the smooth operation of recycling plants.  For example, plastic grocery bags get tangled up in the gears.  To be recycled, you will have to take them back to your grocery store instead of including in your mixed recycling.  Plastic lids are too small and tend to get lost among newspapers and other items so that they cannot be sorted out.  The small items also get caught in the machinery.  So don’t include them!

With respect to paperboard used to hold frozen food, they were originally designed with withstand moisture.  That makes them an unusable candidate in recycling plants where paper materials are mixed with water to form a pulp that can be re-used.  The frozen food containers do not break down properly, and thus cannot be included as recycling.  Ditto for milk and juice cartons, and paper food service items, and paper towels.

Too lazy to rinse out your other recyclables?  Well, you might as well just throw them in the trash!  Any items with food particles have to be sent to the landfill.  You don’t want that!

If you’re a little disheartened by how many things cannot be recycled curbside, consider what you CAN do:

1. Pre-cycle, by reducing waste at the front end. Don’t purchase items with excessive packaging.  Use cloth towels or sponges instead of paper towels.  Bring your own canvas re-usable shopping bags to the store!
2. Look into and use programs that accept items that don’t go into co-mingled recycling.  Plastic grocery bags, styrofoam peanuts, batteries and – of course – cell phones and other electronics.
3. Call your local recycling company to double-check before you toss questionable items into your bin.
4. Consider re-purposing items that you cannot recycle.  Gather colored milk carton lids to use as checkers for camping trips.  Create seedling containers out of other plastic containers and start some shoots for your garden.  Get creative!