Accepted Recyclables

Recycle Right

Please only place these acceptable materials in your recycling cart. Download the new Curbside Recycling Program Brochure (PDF) for more information.

Plastic Bottles & Jugs

Water and drink bottles; shampoo, soap, and detergent bottles. Please empty liquids and rinse out food residue. Remove and throw away lids.

Glass Bottles & Jars

All types and colors of glass bottles and jars. Please empty liquids and rinse out food residue. Remove lids; metal lids can be recycled; plastic lids should be thrown away.

Cardboard & Mixed Paper

Flattened boxes, magazines, junk mail, catalogs, phone books, office paper, cards, stationary, paper grocery bags, school paper, computer paper, single layer cardboard such as cereal and tissue boxes, newspapers and advertising inserts.

Metal Cans

Steel and aluminum food and beverage cans. Please empty liquids and rinse out food residue. Metal lids can be recycled.

FAQ

What can I put in my cart?

Unfortunately many of the items that residents were previously putting in their cart were not supposed to go in there in the first place (on average 25% of what we put in our cart is not recyclable). We are cleaning up the recycling stream with this new program and all of our outreach and education. Consumers need to do their part by knowing what is and isn’t recyclable rather than just “wishful recycling” that clogs up the waste stream, breaks equipment and makes recycling more expensive.

Here's what you can put in your cart:

Plastic bottles and jugs (water bottles, sports drink bottles, laundry detergent containers, shampoo bottles and any other plastic container with a neck). This includes #1 and #2 plastics but those numbers on the bottoms of containers can be misleading and were created by the plastics industry to identify the chemical compounds that the materials are made of. The best way for consumers to recycle correctly is to pay attention to the shape. Unfortunately these plastics are the only ones that are marketable for recycling right now so we all need to be finding ways to use less plastic!
All mixed paper – same as before including newspaper, junk mail, phone books, office paper, etc.
All cardboard – same as before including corrugated cardboard, cereal boxes, cardboard packaging, etc.
Metal cans – same as before including steel cans, aluminum cans plus clean aluminum foil and aluminum pans.
Glass bottles and jars – same as before (still no mirrors, vases, plate glass, etc.)

Visit our accepted recyclables page to search for ways to recycle and dispose of waste items.

Can I still recycle my yogurt cups?

Unfortunately, yogurt cup containers are no longer recyclable. This is a repercussion of the international trade restrictions that were recently enacted because those items used to be sent overseas for recycling and there is no longer a market for them. Hopefully, domestic markets will open up and we will be able to add those items back into our recycling stream. For now all we can do is focus on reducing and reusing!

Use our new Recyclopedia tool to search for other waste items, and we'll tell you how to recycle or dispose of them.

Can I put shredded paper in the curbside recycling cart?

Picture of shredded paper Shredded paper is not allowed in the curbside cart with one exception–if the shredded paper is in long strips (not crosscut into short strips or confetti) it can be placed in a paper bag and put into the curbside recycling cart. Otherwise it needs to be disposed of in the regular trash.

Use our new Recyclopedia tool to search for other waste items, and we'll tell you how to recycle or dispose of them.

Which plastic numbers does the County accept?

We accept only #1 and #2 plastic bottles and jugs. This includes water bottles, sports drink bottles, laundry detergent containers, shampoo bottles and any other plastic container with a neck. However, those numbers on the bottoms of containers can be misleading so the best way for consumers to recycle correctly it to pay attention to the shape. The majority of plastic bottles and jugs are #1 and #2.

Plastics #3-7 are not accepted at this time. Unfortunately the chemical makeup of these items leads them to be unmarketable to the manufacturers that are making new items out of recycled materials. Several Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) have accepted these items for the past few years, but there isn't a market for them at this time.

Use our new Recyclopedia tool to search for other waste items, and we'll tell you how to recycle or dispose of them.

Why can’t I recycle #3-7 plastics?

Numbers 3-7 will not be accepted. Unfortunately, the chemical makeup of these items lead them to be unmarketable to the manufacturers that are making new items out of recycled materials at this time. Many Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) have been accepting these items for the past few years (County Waste included), but unfortunately there just isn't a market for them and so they sit in bales on the MRF property waiting for a buyer. The only market at this time seems to be waste-to-energy (i.e. burning trash to make electricity). However, it is important to the County that everything we collect for recycling from our residents is actually being recycled and not burned for energy so we have removed that item from our list.

Why isn’t there more information on what plastics can’t go in the cart?

The only items that are being excluded (that were included before) are plastic containers such as yogurt cups and clamshells because there simply isn’t a market for those materials at this time. The good news is that these are a small percentage of our recycling stream. All of the items that we currently accept have always made up the majority of the items in the cart.

We are simply asking folks to pay attention to the shape of the plastic rather than the number to keep it simple and minimize confusion. We accept any plastic bottles and jugs (water bottles, sports drink bottles, laundry detergent containers, shampoo bottles and any other plastic container with a neck). This does include #1 and #2 plastics but those numbers on the bottoms of containers can be misleading and were created by the plastics industry to identify the chemical compounds that the materials are made of. The best way for consumers to recycle correctly it to pay attention to the shape.

Plastic bottles and jugs are the only ones that are marketable for recycling. The recycling industry is working hard to look for new markets so as they become available, we will definitely be adding more materials back into the stream.

Where can I find more information about the Curbside Recycling Program?

View or download and print our Curbside Recycling Program brochure.

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Accepted Recyclables

Recycle Right

Plastic Bottles & Jugs

Glass Bottles & Jars

Cardboard & Mixed Paper

Metal Cans

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