Recycling 101

Reality: False.

Research shows convenience and commitment are required for maximum recycling. For instance, do you recycle in several rooms of your home? If you only recycle in the kitchen, recyclables in your home office or bathroom get thrown away. So make recycling a collaborative effort where everyone participates, enabling the most recycling of the right materials.

Reality: Only in some cases. Check the table above and local program guidelines to see what's recyclable and what's not.

Many plastics cannot be made into new products. Recycle plastics by shape: bottles, jars, jugs and tubs.

Reality: Containers should be clean, but don't have to be spotless.

While all bottles, cans and containers should be clean, dry and free of most food waste before you place them in your recycling container, they don’t need to be spotless. The goal is to make sure they are clean enough to avoid contaminating other materials, like paper, or your un-lined kitchen recycling bin. Try using a spatula to scrape cans and jars, and putting recyclables in your sink among the dishes you are rinsing to share that same water to rinse and remove residue.

Reality: False. Non-recyclable items are not accepted curbside.

Non-recyclable items contaminate recyclables. Recyclables stuck inside plastic bags are at risk for never making it through the recycling process. Conversely, recyclable items placed into garbage containers are hauled to a landfill and cannot be recovered effectively. The right thing to do is put the right recyclables in the recycling container and non-recyclables into garbage containers. Recyclables with the greatest impact are bottles, cans, paper and cardboard.

Reality: Just because it's plastic doesn't mean it's recyclable in your recycling program.

If it’s not bottles, cans, paper or cardboard, it probably doesn’t belong in your curbside mixed recycling bin and may even require special handling. Just because an item is made from plastic, or contains plastic parts, doesn’t mean recycling facilities can handle it. There are other resources (e.g., Earth911.org) that can help answer questions about what to do with non-recyclables or household hazardous waste.

Reality: The acceptance of glass in recycling programs varies by jurisdiction.


Glass recycling collection varies in communities across the U.S. Some communities recycle glass with all other recyclables; some collect glass separately at the curb in its own container; and some cities have specific recycling drop-off locations for glass. Some states, like CA, CT, OR, IA, MI, ME, VT, MA and NY, have ‘bottle bill’ laws that allow for a per-bottle deposit when bottles are brought to return centers or retailers for recycling. Please refer to your community’s recycling guidelines for local program information.

Reality: It varies by jurisdiction.

Most recycling programs accept empty/dry aerosol cans (without the caps). If the can isn't empty, it could be dangerous. Some fires are caused in baling machines from trace amounts of can chemicals, and cans with leftover propellant have been known to become projectiles when densified/baled. Waste Management facilities and commodity vendors accept steel, mixed metal and aluminum aerosol packages. Multi-material aerosol packages are not recyclable.