How To Download Recycle Bin
Sara Ruballos
Deciding to recycle items is just the first step. You also want to make sure the items are recycled correctly. Below you will find common recyclables and related recycling information. For general tips on how to recycle correctly, visit Recycling 101.
Paper makes up 23 percent of municipal solid waste (trash) generated each year, more than any other material. Americans recycled about 68 percent of the paper they used in 2018. This recovered paper is used to make new paper products, which saves trees and other natural resources. Most community or office recycling programs accept paper and paper products. Check what your community or office program accepts before you put it in the bin. Look for products that are made from recycled paper when you shop. Better yet, consider if you really need to print in the first place.
If the book is still in good condition, try donating it! Schools, places of faith, charities, and non-profits will often accept book donations. If the book is not in usable condition, it can be recycled. Paperback books can be recycled as-is; remove the cover from a hardcover book before recycling it.
Paper gift wrap often is not recyclable when it has a shiny or laminated coating. If you use gift wrap, purchase a type that can be recycled or is made from recycled content. EPA encourages consumers to reuse gift bags, boxes, and tissue paper. Newspaper is an excellent alternative to gift wrap.
More than 35 million tons of plastics were generated in the United States in 2018 and only 8.7 percent was recycled. Some types of plastics are not accepted in community recycling programs. Check with your local recycling program to find out which types of plastic they accept. When possible, purchase products made from recycled plastic materials.
These items are recyclable, but they cannot go in your household recycling bin. Retail and grocery stores often accept these materials for recycling. If necessary, be sure to cut off the sealable zippers from sandwich bags before recycling them. Please ask your local grocery and department store, or visit the Earth911 to find a location near you that recycles plastic bags and plastic wrap/film.
It depends on what types of plastic the containers and cups are made of and whether your local program accepts them. Items with food debris cannot be recycled. Plastic utensils also cannot be recycled.
Glass, especially glass food and beverage containers, can be recycled over and over again. In the United States in 2018, 12.3 million tons of glass were generated, 31.3 percent of which was recycled. Making new glass from recycled glass is typically cheaper than using raw materials.
No, generally, aluminum cans should not be crushed before they are recycled. For areas with single-stream recycling, crushed cans are harder to detect when being sorted at recycling facilities. If you live in an area with multi-stream recycling, crushing cans is not an issue.
Lead-acid batteries are one of the most recycled products. In 2018, 2.9 million were recycled, representing 99 percent of generation. Recycling rates of other battery types are not as well tracked. Although batteries are recyclable, most batteries, including lithium-ion, lithium metal, lead-acid, nickel cadmium, and other rechargeable batteries, should NOT go in household garbage or recycling bins. These batteries require special handling and should be taken to specialty drop-off locations or household hazardous waste collection points. Check out our resources on how to manage and recycle your used household batteries and your used lithium-ion batteries.
EPA estimates that 2.7 million tons of consumer electronics were generated in 2018. About 38.5 percent of these electronics were recycled. Electronics cannot be recycled curbside, but they can be dropped off at specific collection sites. Manufacturers and retailers offer several options to donate or recycle electronics, including cell phones, computers, and televisions. EPA has a list of manufacturers and retailers that offer options to recycle electronics. Before recycling electronics, delete all your personal information. Check with your local recycling facility for best ways to recycle electronics, and visit our Electronics Donation and Recycling page for more information.
EPA estimates that 63.1 million tons of food waste was generated in the commercial, institutional, and residential sectors in 2018. Food cannot be recycled. However, throwing food into the trash is not the best management option. Food that ends up in landfills leads to methane emissions which contribute to climate change. EPA recommends reducing food waste by buying only what you need and by eating your leftovers. Composting is an environmentally-friendly method of food waste disposal. In 2018, about 4.1 percent of food waste was composted.
In 2018, about 35.4 million tons of yard trimmings were generated. Lawn materials cannot be recycled, but they can be composted. If you are unable to compost, check with your local community to learn if there is a yard trimming collection service near you.
Check local places that take donations (schools, places of faith, charities, non-profits) to learn if they will accept paint donations, and contact your local recycling or household hazardous waste facility for ways you can recycle paint in your area.
Most garages are required to accept and recycle your used tires when you have new ones put on. You may be able to return used tires to either a tire retailer or a local recycling facility that accepts tires. Some communities will hold collection events for used tires. Tires should not be abandoned. Disease-carrying pests such as rodents will make tire piles their homes. Tire piles can also catch on fire.
Gently worn clothes and shoes can be donated to many charities. For damaged clothes and shoes, please double-check with your local charity to determine if it will accept them. Some retail stores recycle clothing or shoes. Check your local ones to find out if they accept these items for recycling.
Starting in 2022, all jurisdictions will to need to provide organic waste collection services to all residents and businesses and recycle these organic materials using recycling facilities. All generators must recycle their organic waste (food and green waste). Please contact your local representative or hauler to learn more and begin service.
The law also requires businesses and other public entities to recycle as much of the waste they generate as possible. AB 341 (Chesbro, Chapter 476, Statutes of 2011) requires that businesses that generate four cubic yards or more of commercial solid waste (trash) per week or are a multifamily residential dwelling of five units or more must now arrange for recycling services.
Collection, transportation, and recycling packinghouse waste, such as raw, unprocessed meat, poultry and fish materials from commercial food facilities, is regulated by the California Department of Agriculture (CDFA). Please e-mail questions about how to handle and recycle raw, meat, poultry and fish scraps to rend...@cdfa.ca.gov.
Poor recycling habits like wish-cycling (tossing non-recyclables in with recyclables) cost municipalities and result in scaled back or shut down recycling programs. Recycling boosts our economy and protects our planet, and you can do your part to help. Use the Recycle Coach app for free and help unite your community to recycle better. Join the Movement to avoid a local recycling crisis.
Did you know around 20% of what some residents and businesses put in their recycling bins is not recyclable in the blue bin? By eliminating materials that don't belong (contamination), you'll help ensure recyclables remain valuable, are actually recycled and don't create a hazard for workers or machinery at the recycling facility. Stopping contamination begins with " Recycling Right" - knowing how to recycle as well as what to recycle.
All types of fluorescent lights contain mercury, which is a hazardous material. They should not be disposed of as garbage. Recyclers of fluorescent lamps should be able to provide proof that the materials they accept are recycled at a permitted facility and provide a certificate of recycling.
Car seats cannot be donated due to liability issues, and there are very limited recycling options for them. Please read the recycler notes carefully for preparation instructions. It is recommended that the straps be cut off to render the seat unusable if the car/booster seat is placed in the garbage.
You can also find an extensive list of local depots, giving you convenient donation and recycling options for items not accepted in your curbside recycling. Using the links below, download the Recycle Coach app and become a better recycler today!
Of course, the iconic and upcycled shoe, which was originally an homage to the Zulu coconut, is a perfect example of reuse. Many of the Muses tote bags, pencil bags, and cosmetic bags are actually made from recycled materials.
At The Recycling Partnership, we are solving for circularity. As a mission-driven NGO, we are committed to advancing a circular economy by building a better recycling system. We mobilize people, data, and solutions across the value chain to reduce waste and our impact on the environment while also unlocking economic benefits. We work on the ground with thousands of communities to transform underperforming recycling programs; we partner with companies to achieve packaging circularity, increase access to recycled materials, and meet sustainability commitments; and we work with government to develop policy solutions to address the systemic needs of our residential recycling system and advance a circular economy. We foster public-private partnerships and drive positive change at every step of the recycling and circularity process. Since 2014, we have diverted 770 million pounds of new recyclables from landfills, avoided more than 670,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases, and driven significant reductions in targeted contamination rates. Learn more at recyclingpartnership.org.
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