Recycling Tips

1. Place Items Loosely in the Bin 

Don’t place recyclables inside plastic bags - keep them loose! Plastic bags cause damage to our sorting equipment and interrupts the recycling process. Plastic bags aren’t accepted in our recycling program. If you need to recycle plastic bags, you can take them back to many local grocery and retail stores. 

2. Avoid “Tanglers” 

"Tanglers" are items that can tangle or wrap around the automated sorting equipment and cause damage. Please do not place these items in your recycling. These items include: 

• Clothing 
• Bed sheets 
• Garden hoses 
• Chains 
• Ropes 
• Dog leashes 
• Christmas lights 
• Plastic bags 

3. Use Rumpke's List — Not Product Label 

Having a recycling symbol does not mean an item can be recycled everywhere. An item’s recyclability is determined by many factors. Always check Rumpke’s list of acceptable items for recycling in your neighborhood. 

4. Cans Can Be Recycled 

When it comes to metal, only place aluminum and steel cans in your recycling container. While other types of metal can be recycled, you should take those non-can items directly to a specialized metal recycler. 

5. Container Shape — Not Number 

Examine the shape of plastic containers — not the recycling number. When it comes to plastics, Rumpke only accepts the following: 

• Plastic Bottles (empty, crush, reattach lid): Bottles and jugs that have a small mouth and wider base, such as milk jugs, soda bottles, laundry detergent bottles, water bottles, shampoo bottles and contact solution bottles 
• Plastic Tubs: Containers for butter, sour cream cottage cheese, yogurt, Jello and fruit slices would fall into the tub category. Lids should be reattached prior to recycling 
• Plastic Cups (remove/discard straw, reattach lid): Beverage cups, like ones from fast food restaurants and coffee shops 

6. It Affects the Lives of Others

This isn't quite a tip, but something to remember: placing the wrong material into your recycling bin can cause big problems. Some items damage machines at the recycling center, while other materials, such as batteries, pose serious hazards to employees. Simply check your local news from any year, and you'll see that these serious events are not uncommon in the recycling industry. Understanding what and what to not place in your recycling bin is what'll make the difference in the future.