Truck unloading a dumpster

What Can Be Recycled?

What Can Be Recycled?

We were all taught it in school- reduce, reuse, recycle. In today’s day and age manufacturers are finding more and more ways to recycle old products and materials into new goods. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated in 2008 that of the 250 million tons of waste generated in the U.S., approximately a third (83 million tons) was recycled or composted. Recycling is a wonderful and easy way to help keep our planet healthy and beautiful. So what can you safely recycle to help out?

Metals

  • Aluminum Cans: Calling all soda drinkers! Soda cans are easy things to recycle that happen to be in abundance.
  • Foil & Bakeware: Aluminum foil used for baking can be recycled as long as there are no food particles attached. If you take the extra step to wipe down all foil then you can toss this in your green bin!
  • Steel & Tin Cans: This includes soup cans, vegetable cans, and coffee cans.

Paper/Cardboard

  • Did you know that one ton of paper saves enough energy to power a home for six whole months?
  • Cardboard: Frequent online shopper to sites like Amazon? Cardboard boxes can be recycled!
  • Magazines
  • Office/ Print Paper: How about a recycling plan for the office?
  • Newspaper: Did you know that 73% of newspapers are recycled? Let’s make it 100%!
  • Paperboard: Eat a lot of cereal? Tired of boxes from groceries bulking up your trash? Recycle them! This also includes paper cartons for your milk and juice!
  • Mail: Junk mail or direct mail? That can be remade as well.
  • Phone Books: The average home gets phone book or so delivered to them a year. With Google now at our fingertips, phone books are becoming obsolete. Instead of trashing it, recycle them to be remade.

Glass

  • This excludes Pyrex, ceramic, mirror glass, window glass, crystal, CRTs, and any caps or lids. Light bulbs can be recycled. Contact your local recycling plant for instructions.

Plastic

  • When it comes to plastic, go by the shape! Bottles, jars, and jugs are all accepted.

Batteries/Bulbs

  • Car Batteries
  • House Batteries
  • Rechargeable Batteries
  • Incandescent, LED, & Compact Fluorescent Bulbs: Contact your local recycling plant for instructions.

Electronics

  • Call your local recycling plant for eligible items.
  • Computers
  • Office Equipment
  • TVs
  • Cell Phones