what can you not recycle

23 Things That Aren't Recyclable

• Aerosol Cans. Sure, they're metal. ...
• Batteries. These are generally handled separately from both regular trash and curbside recycling.
• Brightly Dyed Paper. ...
• Ceramics and Pottery. ...
• Diapers. ...
• Hazardous Waste. ...
• Household Glass. ...
• Juice Boxes and Other Coated Cardboard Drink Containers. ...
• Medical Waste. ...
• Napkins and Paper Towels. ...

More items...

Full Answer

What to do with things you can't recycle?

What to Do with Things You Can't Recycle Explore Alternatives. Just because your municipality doesn't accept an item for recycling doesn't always mean that it isn't possible to recycle it at all. Reuse. Next, make the most of your Internet connection by doing a quick Google search for "how to repurpose (your unrecyclable item)." Donate. ...

What are the consequences to not recycling?

What Are The Effects of Not Recycling?

• Effects of Not Recycling. According to the EPA, in 2013, Americans generated about 254 million tons of trash, that’s equivalent to about 1.7 million blue whales!
• Environmental Impact. Landfills have a huge environmental impact. ...
• Economic Impact. ...
• GLE Scrap Metal. ...

What we can and cannot recycle?

waxed paper, shredded paper, wrapping gift paper, paper coated with plastic, receipts, sticky paper, and any paper contaminated with food or other liquids like pizza boxes, milk & juice cartons, napkins & tissues, paper towels, and toilet paper.

What items are not recyclable?

While candy wrappers are not recyclable, flowers can be placed in green waste bins, and some mailers from online orders can be recycled at retailers. “If you're ordering things online, you might be getting these bubble mailers. These are recyclable, but only at retail locations.

What are the numbers for plastic recycling?

Many centers don't recycle plastics with the numbers three through seven. These items are typically food containers such as yogurt cups, butter tubs, and oil bottles. Your municipal recycling system gets the final say as to what belongs in your bin. Some areas will restrict more items that we've listed.

Why are napkins included in the sanitizer?

Tissues and napkins are also included because they typically hold too much residue.

What does the number 5 mean on plastic?

Plastic products carry a recycling symbol with a number from 1 to 7 inside indicating the type of resin used. The ones marked #5 have been difficult to recycle in the past. Fotofermer/Shutterstock. Environment. Plastics.

Can you recycle coffee cups?

Some manufacturers have begun producing recyclable containers. These will be specially marked. The rest are not suitable for reprocessing including many disposable coffee cups from your local coffee shop.

Can you recycle plain paper?

While most plain paper can be recycled, it's hard for recycling centers to determine the type of paper if it's shredded. However, you can use the shredded, plain paper in your compost or mulch.

Is paper recyclable?

While you may be thinking you're doing your part to help, your optimistic recycling may actually be hurting the process. Depending on where you live, there are some items that simply aren't recyclable, including varieties of paper, glass and plastic.

Do recyclers take a pass on paper?

In general, recyclers take a pass on paper items that have been exposed to water. The fibers may be damaged, and there are contamination risks.

What can we recycle?

We can recycle glass, tins, paper, cardboard.

What are the guidelines for recycling?

Three General Guidelines of Recycling. Recycle all bottles, cans, and paper. Keep items relatively clean. Don’t mix plastic bags in with the rest of your recycled items. Do Recycle. Rigid Plastics/Bottles. - Any plastic bottles or containers found in your kitchen. Paper and Cardboard.

Can you recycle pizza grease?

you can't recycle them if they have pizza grease on them :) so, most often, can't be recycled.

Can you recycle plastic bags?

Depending on where you live and what service provider you have, your recycling options will vary. Some service providers allow you to put all your recycling (except glass and plastic bags) into one bin. Most communities will have drop off locations specifically for plastic bags, while others may support local food waste recycling which can be turned into sustainable gardening soil. Check to see if your city has a food waste program like this one in Seattle: Food Waste in Your Yard Scraps Bin

Is a pizza box recyclable?

Pizza Boxes are recyclable. Do some more research 24 year old.

Is a frozen waffle box recyclable?

Frozen waffle boxes are not recyclable. They are coated with plastic and do not break down properly.

Can egg cartons be recycled?

We need another option for recycling added in order to enable egg carton recycling. That option is "carefully handled recyclables.". Egg cartons and others listed above can and should be recycled but are not considered as such because of the way waste is currently handled.

What can be trashed instead of recycled?

Food is even a worse contaminant than dyes. And since there’s no telling what types of food were placed on a paper plate or wiped by a napkin, these items should be trashed instead of recycled. Pizza boxes.

Why are pizza boxes so problematic?

Pizza boxes. These are especially problematic because almost every pizza contains a fair amount of greasy substances. That grease won’t mix with the water that is used during the recycling process.

Can you recycle scrap metal?

Aerosol cans. It’s true that many types of scrap metal can be recycled, but the metal in aerosol cans is always assumed to be contaminated with whatever chemicals were put inside them. So just throw these cans in the trash. Ceramics.

Can you throw out water bottle caps?

No, recycling centers don’t want that nasty thing. Throw it out. Water bottle caps. Again, some recycling centers don’t mind these caps. But since they’re made of a different type of plastic than the bottles themselves, you should take the caps off of them before putting them in a recycling bin just to be safe.

Can you recycle ceramics?

Coffee mugs, cereal bowls, plates, flower pots, and other ceramic items cannot be broken down and recycled. But you may be able to reuse them for other purposes. CFL light bulbs. They’re eco-friendly because they use less energy to power them. But since they contain a small amount of mercury, they should never be placed in a general recycling bin ...

Is plastic bag recyclable?

Plastic bags. This kind of plastic is not recyclable. Worse, these bags tend to clog the mechanisms in the recycling machines and even shut these plants down in order to extricate them.

Can alkaline batteries be recycled?

Some alkaline batteries can be taken to electronics centers for recycling. But this process is much different than the one used by general recycling machinery, so keep batteries out of recycling containers. Plastic bags. This kind of plastic is not recyclable. Worse, these bags tend to clog the mechanisms in the recycling machines ...

What can't you recycle in your curbside bin?

Here are the top things that recyclers do NOT want to see come into their facility: 1. Plastic bags and wraps. Plastic bags and some plastic wraps are recyclable — just not in your curbside bin! There are a small handful of communities in the US that can recycle bags and plastic wraps through curbside recycling.

Why is it important to leave stuff out of the recycling?

This is called “wishcycling.”. In order to keep our recycling system healthy, it’s just as important to leave stuff out of the recycling as it is important to but the good recyclable stuff in the recycling. Whenever you try to recycle items that you shouldn’t, it harms recycling.

How to dispose of food waste?

The best way to dispose of food waste is by composting it — either in your backyard, or through a community composting program that may be available to you. But you should never put food into the recycling bin. What I don’t mean by this is, never put any food residue in there — not all the packaging you recycle is going to be, or should be, perfectly clean all the time (because we need to save water, too). But please do not put any big food hunks, or gross, greasy, or otherwise dirty stuff into your recycling bin. The cleaner the recycling stream is, the less contamination there is for the recyclers to deal with. That means better health for the recycling stream. A good rule of thumb: ”no yuck!”

Why are electronics a separate recycling stream?

Electronics are a separate recycling stream because they contain highly specialized materials and elements.

What to do if you have empty packaging?

If these items are empty, and all you have left is the packaging, then throw the packaging in the trash. If you still have some leftover product inside the packaging, for example if it’s half empty , then check to see if your community has a way for you to recycle household hazardous waste (google the name of your town + “Household hazardous waste recycling”). It is important to take extra care when disposing of these hazardous items, and to do so in the proper way in your community. If not handled correctly they can harm water quality, wildlife, and human health.

What are some examples of tangles?

These in the recycling industry are called “tanglers” and are looked upon with a special sort of disdain. Examples include electric cords, headphones, garden hoses, chains, wires, Christmas lights.

Why should we think about recycling?

You should think of recycling more as a system designed to process a select suite of valuable materials to turn into something new again — not so much a Santa’s workshop where elves can magically transform everything that passes through its doors into objects of glory. The recycling system was built especially to sort and process these select materials, but not everything else. All the materials that end up as waste from our households that aren’t recyclable are either not valuable enough to create a recycling stream for, or not recyclable at a big enough scale yet.

How many trees can you save by recycling paper?

Here’s a fun fact. By recycling one ton of paper, you can save seventeen trees. That may seem like a lot of paper at first, but when you think about how many paper products we use every day, it adds up quickly.

Why is recycling metal important?

Recycling our metal items helps to conserve that energy.

How long does it take for plastic to degrade?

Plastic seems to find its way into almost every product we use. We can’t seem to escape it. In fact, because plastic takes between 500 to 1,000 years to degrade, every piece of plastic that has ever been created is still around today, in one form or another.

Why are batteries considered e-waste?

Electronics and batteries are categorized as e-waste because they require special handling when they’ve reached the end of their lifecycle. E-waste can be filled with very toxic chemicals like mercury and lead that can leak into the environment if not handled properly.

Can you recycle a coffee cup?

When you discard a multi-piece item such as a disposable coffee cup, it is important to understand that not all parts are recyclable. For example, most disposable cups are lined with a plastic coating that makes them un-recyclable. You can, however, remove the cardboard sleeve and place it in its corresponding recycling containers. Taking this extra step is important because most recycling programs will disregard an entire recycling bin if it is contaminated by an non-recyclable item.

Is glass recyclable?

Glass is unique in that it’s nearly 100% recyclable. This means that nearly every bottle or jar you put in your curbside recycling bin will find new life as another glass product.

Can you recycle a package?

In many cases, only certain parts of a product’s packaging or certain materials can be recycled. In these circumstances, the package needs to be carefully broken down into its recyclable elements or simply left out of the bin all together. Here are several common items that might need special handling.

What bulbs can be recycled?

LED & Incandescent Bulbs – This is another where we recommend reaching out to your local municipality on proper recycling, as it varies from city to city.

What can you make with recycled newspaper?

Newspaper – recycled newspaper can be made into cereal boxes, egg cartons, pencil barrels, grocery bags, tissue paper, and other products , such as more newspaper.

How long can aluminum be recycled?

Do Recycle: Aluminum cans – Cans are awesome because it can be returned on the shelf as quickly as 60 days after it’s recycled! Definitely recycle these! Aluminum can be recycled indefinitely.

What are cartons made of?

Cardboard Dairy & Juice Cartons – made from 80% high quality paper fiber and 20% polyethylene to keep the paper from getting wet. Only a small fraction of these get recycled – so add these to your recycling bin whenever it’s empty.

How much water can we save by recycling books?

Phone Books – by recycling just 500 books, we can save between 17 and 31 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 463 gallons of oil, 587 pounds of air pollution, and 3.06 cubic yards of landfill space.

Can paper be recycled?

Office Paper & Paper – computer paper, letterhead paper, and notebook paper can all be turned back into paper if it’s separated from other recyclable paper. This other recyclable paper we are talking about is newsprint, colored paper, file stock and found wood paper – these can be made into cardboard, tissues, newspaper, and toilet paper.

Can computers be dumped in landfill?

Computers, monitors, keyboard – These should never be dumped in landfill. Make sure you are working with a reputable e-waste program to properly recycle this.

Why do small items end up in the landfill?

The problem with small items (even when they are recyclable materials) is that they tend to slip right through the recycling machines and end up in the landfill. In order to make sure those items get recycled, bunch them up together or place them inside other items.

Where can I drop off used batteries?

I put all my used batteries into a small box when I replace them. When the box is full, I just zip over to my local Walgreens to drop them off at their battery recycling boxes! If you don’t have a Walgreens nearby, check your local drug stores to see if they offer battery recycling.

What are the drawbacks of living in a small town?

One of the drawbacks of living in a small town is that we don’t have a recycling collection program. There’s a recycling drop-off location on the other side of town, but in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s easy to forget that it even exists! But one of my resolutions for the coming year is to make more of an effort to recycle what I can. To get myself started on the right foot, I thought it would be a good idea to brush up on what I should (and shouldn’t!) be sorting into my recycling bin this year.

Can you recycle plastic bags?

Plastic Bags. Plastic bags can cause jams in standard recycling equipment, but that doesn’t mean you can’t recycle them! Just keep them in a a cupboard or drawer until you have a sizable collection, then take them to a local grocery store. Most stores now have a dedicated drop-off bin where you can recycle your plastic bags.

Can you recycle ceramics?

Unless your recycling center has a program for processing bricks or concrete, they generally won’t be able to accept ceramics (like mugs, plates, bowls, etc.) If your old ceramics aren’t broken, consider donating them.

Can you recycle Brita filters?

Your local recycling center might not be equipped to handle spent water filters, but many filter manufacturers have their own recycling programs. For information on recycling Brita filters, see the recycling page on their site.

Can you recycle waxy cartons?

In the past, recycling centers didn’t have the equipment necessary to process these waxy cartons. But that has changed in the past few years, and now many recycling centers will happily accept milk cartons, broth and soup boxes, and other waxed paper products.

What is the difference between recycling paper and plastic?

Recycling paper and wood saves trees and forests. Recycling plastic means creating less new plastic. Recycling metals means there's less need for risky, expensive and damaging mining and extraction of new metal ores. Recycling glass reduces the need to use new raw materials like sand.

What to do if your kitchenware isn't reusable?

But if the item isn’t reusable it will need to be disposed of in your household waste or at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Why is recycling glass important?

Recycling glass reduces the need to use new raw materials like sand.

How does recycling help the Earth?

Recycling reduces the need to grow, harvest or extract new raw materials from the Earth. And that lessens the harmful disruption and damage being done to the natural world.

What are jars used for?

Jars – for sauces, jams, peanut butter, baby food (but think about whether you could reuse them first).

Can wrapping paper be recycled?

Talking of wrapping paper – it can only be recycled if it passes the scrunch test. Simple paper wrap that scrunches and stays scrunched can be recycled, but foil or glitter-decorated paper can’t and needs to go in the general waste. For more on this, read our tips on recycling paper at home.

Can you recycle food wrappers?

The good news is that you can recycle carrier bags at most supermarkets these days. Food wrapping and clingfilm are tricky. There are different rules for recycling food packings of this sort. Generally speaking, bags and wrappers that resemble plastic bags can be recycled with your carrier bags at supermarkets.

What can you recycle?

You can recycle most shiny paper, such as glossy magazines , flyers, leaflets, and catalogs.

Why should paper towels not be recycled?

3. Paper towels. Paper towels should not end up in the recycling container, because similarly to toilet paper and tissues, their fibers are too short. Additionally, paper towels are often dirty with liquids, food, or grease, which can contaminate the whole paper batch, that is recyclable.

Why not put paper shreds in the recycle bin?

Do not place paper shreds in the recycle bin because when the paper is shredded, the fibers become shorter and are less useful in the recycling process.

What is the recycling code for paper?

For example, it is paper if the recycling code is – 20 PAP, 21 PAP, or 22 PAP.

What is a reusable wrap?

Wax wrap – A reusable, eco-friendly wrap usually made from cotton, beeswax, or soy wax and oils. 5. Paper coffee cups. “Paper” coffee cups contain more than paper – they have a thin plastic layer (polyethylene), to hold liquids without leaking all over the place.

Where to throw milk cartons?

When recycling milk or juice cartons, you should throw them in the plastic/metal bin and not paper.

Can you throw paper in a compost bin?

Compost – If you have a compost bin, then you can throw your shredded paper in there.