Paper & Cardboard
Flattened cardboard, newspaper, magazines, office paper and common mail can be recycled as long as they aren’t contaminated by food, liquid or waste. Hardcover books and shredded paper should never be placed in your recycling container. Break down cardboard boxes. Paper can’t be recycled if it’s mixed with other materials. Remove the bubble wrap or plastic windows before recycling padded packaging or security envelopes.
Metal Cans
Before recycling food and drink cans, remove paper or plastic labels and clean out any residual materials. Some metal cans have an insulated coating that might not be recyclable. When in doubt, throw it out! Recyclables don’t need to be thoroughly washed, but they do need to be dry so they don’t contaminate other items.
Plastic
Hard plastic containers like water bottles, milk jugs and detergent containers can go in your container. Flexible plastics like grocery bags, bubble wrap and styrofoam require special handling and can’t be recycled curbside. Lids are too small to recycle by themselves so put them on the containers or throw them away. If you can poke your finger through the plastic, it doesn’t belong in your recycling container.
To learn more about acceptable recyclable materials and processes visit Republic Services’ Recycling: Simple as 1-2-3 at Recycling Simplified. Also visit Republic Services for more information.