Let’s have a real conversation about recycling. Maybe you know what you can put into your recycling bin, but maybe you don’t. These days it is accepted as common knowledge that paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, aluminum cans, and steel food cans are all items that can, and should be recycled. Or can they? Let’s take a look at each of these items.

Paper and cardboard, for instance, recyclable right? Well, maybe. Generally speaking, yes, most paper and cardboard is, but there are exceptions to the rule. For example, those fast food wrappers where the cheese from your burger has stuck to it, or the French fry container, or bag that it came in, that is soaked with oil or grease, not recyclable. The same for pizza boxes with grease soaked in and cheese stuck to the lid, not recyclable. Now, you can tear off the clean portion of those items and recycle them, but the rest is trash. As a rule of thumb for all recycling, it needs to be clean and empty. Okay, back to paper. There a lot of paper items these days that are not just paper anymore. Manufacturers make a lot of containers and wrappers that combine materials. Unfortunately, this makes them unusable for recycling purposes. Lots of containers combine paper with a wax or plastic film coating so that liquids don’t soak through and leak out. These would be items like half gallon, quart, and pint sized containers of dairy items, or juices, juice boxes, and chicken broth. These are not recyclable. Fast food wrappers that combine paper with foil. Not recyclable. The little trays that come in some microwavable foods that have that layer of grayish silver on it, like mini pizzas, or single-serve fries, are not recyclable. Holiday wrapping paper that combines paper and foil sure is pretty, but it’s not recyclable, so after Christmas, put it in the garbage, not the recycle bin.

Plastic, recyclable, yes, and no. Generally, plastic containers marked #1 to #7 are recyclable, but there are exceptions. Styrofoam containers may have a #6 on them. However, Styrofoam is not recyclable. Plastic bags, from garbage bags down to sandwich bags are not recyclable. Plastic wrap or plastic film wrappers, like the plastic ring seals on many containers, or that hold beverages together, are not recyclable. Plastic shopping bags are only recyclable at those stores that have a box set aside for them at the front of the store. The material they are made from is too light, and they clog up the rollers and belts at the recycling processor when mixed in with the rest of your recyclables.

Glass bottles, aluminum cans, and steel cans, like soup cans are all recyclable, but they do need to be clean and empty of all food and liquids. Also, with glass, be aware of materials that may appear to be glass, but are not. For example, a single ceramic coffee mug can contaminate an entire 30-cubic-yard load, and make it unusable for recycling. So be careful when you put something in the recycling bin, so that it doesn’t ruin a whole load of material.

Here is a list of the Top 10 non-recyclable items that Recycling Processors often find mixed in with recycling. Some of them may surprise you!

#1 – Unwashed containers (Specifically, milk and other organic fluids, like juice. These items have to be clean and empty.)

#2 – Used disposable diapers (These are a combination of plastic, cloth/paper fiber, and the gel that absorbs urine. Not recyclable. In general, anything that has bodily waste on it is not recyclable. This includes diapers, tissues, toilet paper, wipes, napkins that have been used to wipe food off, or bandages. If it has touched your body it is probably not recyclable.)

#3 – Hypodermic needles (Again, not recyclable. In addition to having bio-hazardous bodily fluids on them, like blood and other fluids, these pose a danger to sanitation workers and recycling processors, who may get stuck by the needle, or be exposed to infection or other diseases from contact with them.)

#4 – Other Medical Waste (This includes bandages, or the like, and medications. Bandages and similar medical wastes are usually a combination of materials like cloth, plastic, and an adhesive to make them stick. So even unused bandages are not recyclable. If they have been used, again, the blood and other bodily waste on them makes them unusable for recycling. As for medications, the containers they come in can usually be recycled, but they need to be thoroughly washed out before doing so. Medications can be taken to Medication Drop-off Events, so keep an eye and ear on your local media for information about the next event in your area. You can also check with local Law Enforcement. Some Police Stations have permanent drop boxes for unused medications.)

#5 – Pizza boxes (Again, if there is any grease or food on the containers they can’t be recycled. Tear off the clean portion of the container and recycle it. Throw the rest in the garbage.)

#6 – Scrap Metal (Other than aluminum cans and steel food cans, metal items should not be mixed in with your normal recycling. These items can be recycled at your local scrap metal dealer.)

#7 – Appliances (These items will usually fall into one of two categories: Electronic Waste or Scrap Metal. Find out about programs in your area for these types of items. These items should not be included in your normal recycling.)

#8 – Clothing (Clothing should not be put in with your normal recycling. These items can’t be recycled the way other materials can. If you don’t want to throw old clothing or linens away they can re-purposed or re-used. Old towels can be cut up and used as cleaning rags, and such. Old clothing can be donated to Goodwill, or the Salvation Army, or other similar organizations.)

#9 – Glass Other Than Bottles (As much as we would like it to be, most glass other than bottles is generally not recycled. Tempered glass from windows and automobiles can’t be mixed in with the glass bottles we recycle. It’s a different type of glass. There are strict regulations on re-use of glass for any containers designed to hold food or beverages, and in general, only whole, unbroken containers can be re-purposed for that use. Broken and other types of glass are generally unusable or unsaleable, and wind up as garbage.)

#10 – Garden Hoses, Rope, & Cables (Most hoses have some type of woven fabric imbedded in the rubber, and rubber is not recycled the way plastic is recycled. Rope can be made out of many types of material and are generally not recyclable. Cable, unless made of copper, is not recyclable. Steel cable and fence wire clogs up machines that scrap metal processors use and does not provide enough usable material to make up for the cost of working on the equipment. In any case, none of these items should be mixed in with your normal recycling. You can find ways to re-purpose and re-use these items.)

So, when you are putting items in with your recycling, give it a second look. If it is a container of some kind, is it clean? Is it empty of all food or liquid? Is there any part of the container that has grease, oil, or food that can’t be washed off? Is it one of those items that has more than one kind of material combined into one item? Does it have any bodily waste or fluid on it? Depending on the answer to these questions you may have items that need to go in the garbage instead of the recycling bin.