When trying to determine what is recycleable and what is not, it is helpful to think about two terms: Mixed Paper and Commingle Containers.
Mixed Paper is a general term which encompasses pretty much all products produced from trees - including phone books, magazines and even envelopes with plastic windows. The only requirement is that the paper be clean, dry and free of most contaminents such as food and wax.
In addition to paper, you can use Commingle Containers to recycle aluminum, glass and plastic materials. Using these methods of disposal will not only greatly reduce the amount of waste sitting in our landfills but we can also turn those products into something new giving them a new lease on life and limiting the amount of natural resources needed to create new products.
Mixed Paper Guidelines
Return to the top| Yes You Can Recycle... | Please Don't Include... |
|---|---|
| Printing & Writing Papers
paper of all colors |
Carbon Paper |
| Letterhead | Adhesive Lables, Stickers or Backings |
| Envelopes | Copy Paper Wrappers |
| "Post-it" Notes | Food Wrappings (Paper or wax) |
| Brochures | Overnight Mail Packages |
| Carbonless Multi-forms | Tyvek Envelopes (FedEx Envelopes) |
| Copy Paper | Food |
| Notepad Paper | Aluminum or Tin Cans |
| Computer Paper | Glass or Plastic Bottles |
| News Paper | Ceramic or glass dishware or mugs |
| Magazines | Food Boxes |
| Glossy Paper | Coffee Cups (Paper, Plastic or Styrofoam) |
| Manila Envelopes | Lunch Bags |
| File Folders | Styrofoam packing peanunts |
| Telephone Books | |
| Soft and Hard Cover Books | Recycling Facts: Recycling just one 65-gallon tote of paper saves 17 trees a year! |
| Staples and Paperclips are acceptable |
Commingle Containers
Return to the top| Yes You Can Recycle... | Please Don't Include... |
|---|---|
| Aluminum Food & Beverage Containers | Lead Acid Batteries |
| Glass Food & Beverage Containers
(Brown, Clear & Green) |
Dry Cell Batteries |
| Ferrous (Iron) Cans | Microwave Trays |
| PET Plastic Containers (#1 symbol) | Mirrors |
| HDPE Natural Plastic Containers (#2 Symbol) | Window and Auto Glass |
| HDPE Colored Plastic Contniners
(detergent, shampoo, bleach bottles, etc) |
Light Bulbs |
| Plastics with Symbols
(#3, #4, #5, #6, #7) |
Ceramics |
| Porcelin | |
| Plastic Bags | |
| Coat Hangers | |
| Glass Cookware/Bakeware | |
| Household items, such as: Cooking Pots, Toasters, etc | |
| All glass containers must be empty and free of metal caps and rings: less than
5% food debris All tin cans, bi-metal cans and aluminum cans must be empty: less than 5% food debris All aerosol cans must be empty with less than 5% content All plastic containers must be empty, caps removed: less than 5% food debris Please see the Recycling #'s page for more details on plastics reycling |
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