Material-by-material guide with can/cannot lists, preparation steps, and common mistakes. When in doubt, throw it out — contamination harms the entire recycling stream.
Paper
Can Recycle
Newspapers and magazines
Office paper and mail
Paper bags
Phone books and catalogs
Wrapping paper (non-metallic, non-glitter)
Cardstock and construction paper
Shredded paper (in a paper bag)
Cannot Recycle
Food-soiled paper (pizza boxes with grease)
Wax-coated paper (butcher paper, some cups)
Paper towels and napkins (compost instead)
Tissue paper
Laminated paper
Receipts (thermal paper contains BPA)
Stickers and adhesive-backed paper
Preparation
Remove plastic windows from envelopes
Keep paper dry and clean
Flatten and bundle loosely
Remove staples if easy (most facilities handle them)
Bag shredded paper to prevent contamination
Cardboard
Can Recycle
Corrugated cardboard (shipping boxes)
Cereal and food boxes (paperboard)
Shoe boxes
Toilet paper and paper towel tubes
Egg cartons (paper-based)
Moving boxes
Beer and soda cartons
Cannot Recycle
Wax-coated cardboard (produce boxes)
Cardboard contaminated with food or grease
Wet or moldy cardboard
Cardboard with excessive tape or labels
Juice boxes and milk cartons (mixed material — check locally)
Preparation
Break down and flatten all boxes
Remove packing materials (Styrofoam, bubble wrap)
Remove excessive tape
Cut to manageable size (max 3x3 feet)
Keep dry — wet cardboard clogs machinery
Glass
Can Recycle
Glass bottles (all colors)
Glass jars (all colors)
Glass food containers
Cannot Recycle
Window glass and mirrors (different melting point)
Pyrex and heat-resistant glass (borosilicate)
Ceramics and pottery
Light bulbs (different glass composition)
Crystal and leaded glass
Drinking glasses and glass cookware
Eyeglasses (donate instead)
Preparation
Rinse containers — no need to be spotless
Remove lids (metal lids can be recycled separately)
Labels can stay on (burn off in furnace)
Do NOT break intentionally (safety hazard)
Sort by color if required locally (clear, green, brown)
Aluminum
Can Recycle
Beverage cans (soda, beer, seltzer)
Aluminum foil (clean)
Aluminum pie plates and trays
Aluminum food containers
Empty aerosol cans (aluminum body)
Cannot Recycle
Foil contaminated with food (cannot be cleaned)
Aluminum combined with other materials
Aluminum-lined packaging (chip bags, juice pouches)
Preparation
Rinse cans — empty is sufficient for most programs
Crush cans to save space (optional)
Clean aluminum foil and ball it up (golf-ball size minimum)
Leave tabs on cans
Fully empty aerosol cans before recycling
Steel / Tin Cans
Can Recycle
Food cans (soup, vegetables, beans)
Tin cans
Steel aerosol cans (empty)
Metal lids from glass jars
Empty paint cans (dry)
Metal hangers (check locally)
Cannot Recycle
Cans with food residue still inside
Pressurized or non-empty aerosol cans
Scrap metal and large metal items (take to scrap yard)
Paint cans with wet paint (take to hazardous waste)
Preparation
Rinse to remove food residue
Labels can stay (burn off in furnace)
Place loose lids inside the can and pinch shut
Use a magnet to test — steel is magnetic, aluminum is not
Plastics (#1-#7)
Can Recycle
#1 PET — water/soda bottles, clamshells
#2 HDPE — milk jugs, detergent bottles, shampoo
#5 PP — yogurt containers, medicine bottles (increasingly accepted)
Cannot Recycle
#3 PVC — pipes, vinyl (rarely recycled, toxic)
#6 PS/Styrofoam — cups, takeout containers (almost never recycled)
#7 Other — mixed plastics (rarely recyclable)
Plastic bags and film (#4 LDPE — store drop-off only)
Putting recyclables in plastic bags — Plastic bags tangle in sorting machinery, shutting down entire facilities. Workers must cut them free by hand. Use loose recyclables only.
Greasy pizza boxes in recycling — Grease cannot be separated from paper fibers during the pulping process. One greasy box can contaminate an entire bale of cardboard. Tear off clean portions to recycle, compost the rest.
Food-contaminated containers — Food residue breeds bacteria and attracts pests during storage and transport. It also reduces the quality of recycled material. A quick rinse is sufficient — containers don't need to be spotless.
"Wish-cycling" non-recyclable items — Putting non-recyclable items in the bin (hoping they'll be recycled) contaminates entire loads. When contamination exceeds 10-25%, the whole load goes to landfill. When in doubt, throw it out.
Mixing different types of glass — Window glass, Pyrex, and ceramic have different melting points than container glass. Even small amounts can ruin an entire batch of recycled glass.
Including tanglers (hoses, wires, chains) — Long, flexible items wrap around sorting equipment shafts, causing expensive shutdowns. Garden hoses, Christmas lights, and extension cords should go to specialized recyclers or trash.