How Do I Recycle?: Common Recyclables | US EPA

Can I recycle mail? Yes! Even envelopes with plastic windows can be recycled. Are paper and cardboard takeout containers recyclable? It depends ... Skiptomaincontent Officialwebsitesuse.gov A.govwebsitebelongstoanofficialgovernmentorganizationintheUnitedStates. Secure.govwebsitesuseHTTPS Alock(LockAlockedpadlock)orhttps://meansyou’vesafelyconnectedtothe.govwebsite.Sharesensitiveinformationonlyonofficial,securewebsites. RelatedTopics: Reduce,Reuse,Recycle ContactUs HowDoIRecycle?:CommonRecyclables Decidingtorecycleitemsisjustthefirststep.Youalsowanttomakesuretheitemsarerecycledcorrectly.Belowyouwillfindcommonrecyclablesandrelatedrecyclinginformation.Forgeneraltipsonhowtorecyclecorrectly,visitRecycling101. Onthispage: Paper/Cardboard Plastics Glass Aluminum Batteries Electronics Food LawnMaterials UsedOil HouseholdHazardousWaste Tires Metal Miscellaneous Paper/Cardboard Papermakesup23percentofmunicipalsolidwaste(trash)generatedeachyear,morethananyothermaterial.Americansrecycledabout68percentofthepapertheyusedin2018.Thisrecoveredpaperisusedtomakenewpaperproducts,whichsavestreesandothernaturalresources.Mostcommunityorofficerecyclingprogramsacceptpaperandpaperproducts.Checkwhatyourcommunityorofficeprogramacceptsbeforeyouputitinthebin.Lookforproductsthataremadefromrecycledpaperwhenyoushop.Betteryet,considerifyoureallyneedtoprintinthefirstplace. Belowareanswerstofrequentlyaskedquestionsonpaperandcardboardproducts.Whilegeneralanswersareprovided,yourlocalprogrammayhavedifferentrules.Checkwithyourlocalrecyclingprogramtolearniftheyaccepttheseitems.  CanIrecyclenewspapers?  Yes,newspaperscanberecycled.  CanIrecyclemagazines? Yes,magazinescanberecycled.  CanIrecyclepizzaboxes?  Yes!Pizzaboxescanberecycled,eveniftheyhavegreaseinthem.Makesuretoremoveanyfoodscrapsfromtheboxandflattenitbeforeplacingitinthebin.  CanIrecyclemail? Yes!Evenenvelopeswithplasticwindowscanberecycled. Arepaperandcardboardtakeoutcontainersrecyclable? Itdependsonhowmuchfoodisleftonthem.Tryrinsingorscrapingtheresidueofftocleanit.“Spatula-clean”iscleanenoughtorecycle!Otherwise,containerscontaminatedwithfoodcannotberecycled.  Cancardboardcontainersandboxesberecycled? Yes,makesuretoflattenanyboxesbeforeplacingtheminthebin.Examplesofrecyclablecardboardcontainersaresomeeggcartons,cerealboxes,andshoeboxes.  Canshreddedpaperberecycled? Itdependsonyourlocalrecyclingprogram.  Canbooksberecycled? Ifthebookisstillingoodcondition,trydonatingit!Schools,placesoffaith,charities,andnon-profitswilloftenacceptbookdonations.Ifthebookisnotinusablecondition,itcanberecycled.Paperbackbookscanberecycledas-is;removethecoverfromahardcoverbookbeforerecyclingit. Cangiftwrapberecycled? Papergiftwrapoftenisnotrecyclablewhenithasashinyorlaminatedcoating.Ifyouusegiftwrap,purchaseatypethatcanberecycledorismadefromrecycledcontent.EPAencouragesconsumerstoreusegiftbags,boxes,andtissuepaper.Newspaperisanexcellentalternativetogiftwrap.  Plastics Morethan35milliontonsofplasticsweregeneratedintheUnitedStatesin2018andonly8.7percentwasrecycled.Sometypesofplasticsarenotacceptedincommunityrecyclingprograms.Checkwithyourlocalrecyclingprogramtofindoutwhichtypesofplastictheyaccept.Whenpossible,purchaseproductsmadefromrecycledplasticmaterials.  Belowarefrequentquestionsonplasticproducts.Whilegeneralanswersareprovided,yourlocalprogrammayhavedifferentrules.Makesuretocheckwithyourlocalrecyclingprovidertolearniftheyaccepttheseitems. CanIrecycleplasticbags,wrapsandfilms? Theseitemsarerecyclable,buttheycannotgoinyourhouseholdbin.Retailandgrocerystoresoftenacceptthesematerialsforrecycling.Ifnecessary,besuretocutoffthesealablezippersfromsandwichbagsbeforerecyclingthem.VisitthePlasticFilmRecyclingwebsiteorEarth911tofindalocationnearyouthatrecyclesplasticbagsandplasticwrap/film.  Canplasticbottlesandcapsberecycled? Yes,typicallythecapsandlabelscanbeleftonthebottlesaswell. Canpolystyrenefoam(styrofoam)berecycled? Veryfewlocalitiesacceptstyrofoamincurbsiderecycling.CheckEarth911tolearnwhereyoucandropoffyourstyrofoamforittoberecycled. Canplasticcontainers,cupsandutensilsberecycled? Itdependsonwhattypesofplasticthecontainersandcupsaremadeofandwhetheryourlocalprogramacceptsthem.Itemswithfooddebriscannotberecycled.Plasticutensilsalsocannotberecycled.  CanIrecyclecompostableorbio-basedplastics? CompostablePlastic:No.Compostableplasticsarenotintendedforrecyclingandcancontaminateanddisrupttherecyclingstreamifmixedwithnon-compostableplastics.Ifyourcommunitydoesnothaveacompostingrecyclingpick-upprogramthatacceptscompostableplastic,contactyourgarbage/recyclingcompanyorlocalgovernmenttofindoutifthereareanydrop-offlocationsforyourcompostableplasticitems. BiobasedPlastics:Todeterminewhatwastedisposaloptionsareavailableforabiobasedplasticitem,itisnecessarytoreadtheproduct’slabelastoitscompostabilityandrecyclability.  LearnmorebyreadingtheFrequentlyAskedQuestionsaboutPlasticRecyclingandComposting.  Whatdothesymbolsmeanonthebottomofplasticbottlesandcontainers? Thesesymbolswerecreatedtoidentifythetypeofplasticusedtomakethecontainer.Thiscanhelpyoudeterminewhethertheitemisrecyclablebyyourlocalprogram.Theresinnumberiscontainedinatrianglethatlooksverysimilartotherecyclingsymbol.However,thissymboldoesnotnecessarilymeanitcanbecollectedforrecyclinginyourcommunity. PhotocourtesyofASTMInternational. Glass Glass,especiallyglassfoodandbeveragecontainers,canberecycledoverandoveragain.IntheUnitedStatesin2018,12.3milliontonsofglassweregenerated,31.3percentofwhichwasrecycled.Makingnewglassfromrecycledglassistypicallycheaperthanusingrawmaterials.  Belowarefrequentquestionsonglassproducts.Whilegeneralanswersareprovided,yourlocalprogrammayhavedifferentrules.Checkwithyourlocalrecyclingprogramtofindoutiftheyaccepttheseitems. CanIrecycledifferentglasscolors/typestogether? Mostcurbsiderecyclingprogramsacceptdifferentglasscolorsandtypesmixedtogetherandthensorttheglassattherecoveryfacility.  CanIrecyclebrokenglass? No,brokenglassshouldnotgointotherecyclingbin.Glassshardscanharmworkersanddamageequipment.  CanIleavemymetalbottlecaponmyglassbottlewhenIrecycle? No,metalbottlecapsshouldberecycledseparatelyfromtheglassbottles. Aluminum In2018,3.9milliontonsofaluminummunicipalsolidwastewasgenerated.Thetotalrecyclingrateforaluminumitemswas34.9percent.Bothaluminumcansandfoilcanberecycled.  Belowarefrequentquestionsonaluminumproducts.Whilegeneralanswersareprovided,yourlocalprogrammayhavedifferentrules.Checkwithyourlocalrecyclingprogramtofindoutiftheyaccepttheseitems. Shouldaluminumcansbecrushedbeforerecyclingthem? No,generally,aluminumcansshouldnotbecrushedbeforetheyarerecycled.Forareaswithsingle-streamrecycling,crushedcansarehardertodetectwhenbeingsortedatrecyclingfacilities.Ifyouliveinanareawithmulti-streamrecycling,crushingcansisnotanissue.  CanIrecyclealuminumfoil? Yes,aluminumfoilcanberecycled.Makesuretoremoveanyfoodresiduebeforerecycling.  Batteries Lead-acidbatteriesareoneofthemostrecycledproducts.In2018,2.9millionwererecycled,representing99percentofgeneration.Recyclingratesofotherbatterytypesarenotaswelltracked.Althoughbatteriesarerecyclable,mostbatteries,includinglithium-ion,lithiummetal,lead-acid,nickelcadmium,andotherrechargeablebatteries,shouldNOTgoinhouseholdgarbageorrecyclingbins.Thesebatteriesrequirespecialhandlingandshouldbetakentospecialtydrop-offlocationsorhouseholdhazardouswastecollectionpoints.Checkoutourresourcesonhowtomanageandrecycleyourusedhouseholdbatteriesandyourusedlithium-ionbatteries. Dry-CellBatteriesareusedinavarietyofelectronicsandincludealkalineandcarbonzinc(9-volt,D,C,AA,AAA),mercuric-oxide(button,somecylindricalandrectangular),andsilver-oxideandzinc-air(button).Lookforin-storerecyclingbinsorcommunitycollectioneventstodisposeofthesebatteries. Lithium-ionBatteriesareusedinmanyrechargeableproductssuchaselectronics,toys,wirelessheadphones,handheldpowertools,smallandlargeappliances,electricvehicles,andelectricalenergystoragesystems.DoNOTputtheminthetrashormunicipalrecyclingbins.Householdlithium-ionbatteriescanbebroughttodedicatedin-storerecyclingbinsorhouseholdhazardouswastecollectioneventsfordisposal.Medium-andlarge-scaleelectricvehicleorenergystoragebatteriesshouldbereturnedtothemanufacturer,automobiledealer,orinstallationcompanyformanagementatendoflife. LithiumMetalBatteriesaresimilartolithium-ionbatteriesbutarenotrechargeable.Theyarecommonlyusedinproductssuchascameras,watches,remotecontrols,handheldgames,andsmokedetectors.DoNOTputtheminthetrashormunicipalrecyclingbins:lookfordedicatedin-storerecyclingbinsorhouseholdhazardouswastecollectioneventsfordisposal. Lead-AcidBatteriescanbefoundinautomobiles,boats,snowmobiles,motorcycles,golfcarts,wheelchairs,andotherlargetransportationvehicles.Returnlead-acidbatteriestoabatteryretailerorlocalhouseholdhazardouswastecollectionprogram;doNOTputlead-acidbatteriesinthetrashormunicipalrecyclingbins. OtherRechargeableBatteriesincludenickelcadmium,nickelmetalhydride,andnickel-zincbatteries.Thesebatteriescanbefoundincordlesspowertools,cordlessphones,cellphones,digitalcameras,andsmallelectronics.Donotputtheserechargeablebatteriesinthetrashormunicipalrecyclingbins:lookfordedicatedin-storerecyclingbinsorhouseholdhazardouswastecollectioneventsfordisposal. Electronics EPAestimatesthat2.7milliontonsofconsumerelectronicsweregeneratedin2018.About38.5percentoftheseelectronicswererecycled.Electronicscannotberecycledcurbside,buttheycanbedroppedoffatspecificcollectionsites.Manufacturersandretailersofferseveraloptionstodonateorrecycleelectronics,includingcellphones,computers,andtelevisions.EPAhasalistofmanufacturersandretailersthatofferoptionstorecycleelectronics.Beforerecyclingelectronics,deleteallyourpersonalinformation.Checkwithyourlocalrecyclingfacilityforbestwaystorecycleelectronics,andvisitourElectronicsDonationandRecyclingpageformoreinformation. Food EPAestimatesthat63.1milliontonsoffoodwastewasgeneratedinthecommercial,institutional,andresidentialsectorsin2018.Foodcannotberecycled.However,throwingfoodintothetrashisnotthebestmanagementoption.Foodthatendsupinlandfillsleadstomethaneemissionswhichcontributetoclimatechange.EPArecommendsreducingfoodwastebybuyingonlywhatyouneedandbyeatingyourleftovers. Compostingisanenvironmentally-friendlymethodoffoodwastedisposal.In2018,about4.1percentoffoodwastewascomposted.  Learnmoreonhowtoreducefoodwasteandhowtocompost athome.  LawnMaterials In2018,about35.4milliontonsofyardtrimmingsweregenerated.Lawnmaterialscannotberecycled,buttheycanbecomposted.Ifyouareunabletocompost,checkwithyourlocalcommunitytolearnifthereisayardtrimmingcollectionservicenearyou. UsedOil Neverdumpyourusedmotoroildownthedrain—theusedoilfromoneoilchangecancontaminateonemilliongallonsoffreshwater.Byrecyclingyourusedoil,youhelpkeepourwatersupplyclean.Additionally,ittakesonlyonegallonofusedoiltoproduce2.5quartsofnewmotoroilcomparedto42gallonsofcrudeoil.Manygaragesandauto-supplystoresthatsellmotoroilalsoacceptoilforrecycling.Checkoutourresourcesonlearningtomanage,reuseorrecycleyourusedoil.YoucanalsofindamotoroilrecyclernearyoubyvisitingEarth911. HouseholdHazardousWaste HouseholdHazardousWasteRecycling Learnmoreabouthouseholdhazardouswasterecycling. Leftoverhouseholdproductsthatcancatchfire,react,orexplodeundercertaincircumstances,orthatarecorrosiveareconsideredhouseholdhazardouswaste(HHW).Althoughitdependsonyourlocalsolidwasteagency/recyclingfacility,someexamplesincludepesticides,herbicides,insecticides,paints,solvents,oilfilters,lightbulbs,batteries,unemptiedaerosolcans,ammunition,ammonia,antifreeze,andnailpolish.Theseproductsrequirespecialcarewhenyoudisposeofthem.HHWmaybedangeroustopeopleandbadfortheenvironmentiftheyarepoureddownthedrain,dumpedontheground,orthrownoutwithregulartrash. Whatyoucando: Trytoreduceyourpurchasesoftheseproducts,andlookforalternative,non-hazardousproducts. Whenyouneedtodisposeoftheseproducts,lookforspecialcollectioneventsinyourcommunityorpermanentcollectioncenters.Sometimesbusinessesthatselltheseproductswillalsoacceptthemforrecycling. IfyouhavetodisposeofHHW,firstcheckwithyourlocalwastemanagementagencytolearnwhatrulesapplyinyourcommunity. PleasevisitourHouseholdHazardousWastewebpageformoreinformationonhouseholdhazardouswasteandtipsforhowtoreduceitinyourhome.  WhatshouldIdowithpaint?  Checklocalplacesthattakedonations(schools,placesoffaith,charities,non-profits)tolearniftheywillacceptpaintdonations,andcontactyourlocalrecyclingorhouseholdhazardouswastefacilityforwaysyoucanrecyclepaintinyourarea. WhatshouldIdowithbarometersandthermometers? Avoiddiscardingtheminthetrash.Checkwithyourlocalrecyclingorhouseholdhazardouswastefacility,orvisitEarth911formoreinformationonwaystoproperlydisposeofthem,assomethermometersareconsideredhouseholdhazardouswaste.  WhatshouldIdowithburnt-outlightbulbs? Checkwithyourlocalrecyclingfacilityforrecyclingoptionsforburnt-outlightbulbs,ortakethemtoaretailstoreinyourareathatofferslightbulbrecycling. Tires Mostgaragesarerequiredtoacceptandrecycleyourusedtireswhenyouhavenewonesputon.Youmaybeabletoreturnusedtirestoeitheratireretaileroralocalrecyclingfacilitythatacceptstires.Somecommunitieswillholdcollectioneventsforusedtires.Tiresshouldnotbeabandoned.Disease-carryingpestssuchasrodentswillmaketirepilestheirhomes.Tirepilescanalsocatchonfire. Metal In2018,19.2milliontonsofferrousmetals(ironandsteel)weregenerated.EPAestimatesthattherecyclingrateofferrousmetalsfromdurablegoodswas27.8percent.Thesameyear,2.5milliontonsofnonferrousmetals(notcontainingiron)weregenerated.Therecyclingratefornonferrousmetalswasapproximately68percent. HowdoIrecyclemetal?  Therearedifferentprogramsandoptionsformetalrecyclingdependingonyourlocality.Checktofindoutwhatisavailableinyourarea.  Miscellaneous WhatshouldIdowithdirtydiapers? Whileweprovidegeneralguidancebelow,pleasecheckwithyourlocalsolidwasteagencyorrecyclingprogramfirst. Generally,youshouldflushtheexcrementdownthetoilet,andthenplacethediaperinthetrash.Considerusingreusableclothdiapersinsteadofdisposablediapers. WhatshouldIdowitholdclothesandoldshoes? Gentlywornclothesandshoescanbedonatedtomanycharities.Fordamagedclothesandshoes,pleasedouble-checkwithyourlocalcharitytodetermineifitwillacceptthem.Someretailstoresrecycleclothingorshoes.Checkyourlocalonestofindoutiftheyaccepttheseitemsforrecycling. Top10intheBin FindaRecyclingLocationNearYou Earth911 RecycleNation Disclaimer:Thesesitesarelistedforinformationalpurposesonly.U.S.EPAdoesnotendorseanyoftheseentitiesnortheirservices.ContactUstosuggestanyadditionallinks. LookingforInformationonPlasticBags? Takeyourplasticbagsbacktoagrocerystorecollectionbin.NEVERputtheminyourcurbsiderecyclingbin.Checkoutmoreinformationonplasticbagshere. ContactUstoaskaquestion,providefeedback,orreportaproblem. LastupdatedonDecember2,2021