What Belongs in the Recycling Bin (and What Absolutely Doesn’t)

📅 Last updated: July 1, 2026 — We review and update our recommendations regularly.

The Short Answer

In the bin: Glass bottles and jars (food/beverage), metal cans, rigid plastic bottles (#1 and #2), paper and cardboard (clean), flattened boxes, newspapers, mail, magazines.

Not in the bin: Plastic bags or film, Styrofoam, food-soaked items, paper towels/napkins, electronics, batteries, clothing, light bulbs, ceramics, Pyrex, mirrors, black plastic, anything you’re unsure about.

Glass

Accept: Wine/beer/liquor bottles, jars (pasta sauce, pickle, jam, condiments), juice bottles, vinegar, olive oil.

Rinse them. No need to remove labels.

Check first: many municipalities don’t accept glass curbside — look for drop-off locations if so.

NOT: drinking glasses, Pyrex, mirrors, window glass, light bulbs, ceramics. All have different chemical compositions and will contaminate a glass batch. Glass containers are recyclable. Glass objects are not.

Metal

Accept: Aluminum beverage cans, steel food cans, aluminum foil (balled up to golf ball size), foil baking pans/trays, bottle caps/jar lids (put inside a can and crimp the top).

Aerosol cans: only when completely empty and depressurized. Shake to confirm. A pressurized can is an explosion risk.

NOT: paint cans with wet paint, pressurized aerosols, large scrap metal, pots/pans.

Aluminum recycling uses 95% less energy than primary production. Steel saves 60-74%.

Paper and Cardboard

Accept: Newspaper, office paper, mail/envelopes, magazines, catalogs, cardboard boxes (flattened), paperboard boxes (cereal, shoes, etc.), paper bags, toilet paper rolls.

Flatten all cardboard.

NOT: greasy/food-soaked paper, paper towels/napkins, decorative tissue paper, paper coffee cups, wax paper, frozen food boxes, chip/candy/wrapper bags.

Pizza box: look at it. Heavily greasy = trash. Clean top / greasy bottom = tear apart. Generally clean = recyclable.

Plastics

#1 PET (bottles): Widely accepted. #2 HDPE (jugs): Widely accepted. #3 PVC: not accepted. #4 LDPE (film/bags): NEVER in the bin. #5 PP (yogurt): check locally. #6 PS (Styrofoam): not accepted mostly. #7: not accepted.

Black plastic: typically not accepted — optical sorters can’t detect it.

Practical rule: rigid non-black plastic bottle or jug that held food or household product = probably accepted. Flexible, foamy, or multi-layer = not in the bin.

What Does NOT Belong: The Non-Negotiables

Plastic bags and film: The #1 contamination problem nationwide. They wrap around conveyor belts and shut down facilities. Grocery store drop-off only.

Electronics: E-waste. Best Buy accepts most things for free.

Batteries: Fire hazard if lithium-ion. Call2Recycle drop-offs at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Best Buy.

Food and liquids: Empty and rinse containers before recycling.

HHW: Motor oil, paint, pesticides go to HHW disposal programs.

Clothing and textiles: Donate if wearable; textile recycling for worn-out.

Ceramics: Trash. Even small shards reject an entire glass batch.

The Contamination Problem

When contamination exceeds 2-5% of a load, the entire load gets rejected and landfilled — including your correctly sorted items. Treat the bin as a precise tool, not a wishlist.

The core items aren’t hard: clean glass jars, aluminum/steel cans, oflattened cardboard, rigid #1/#2 plastic bottles, paper.

For specific material questions, see our guides on common recyclable materials, recyclable kitchen items, and recyclable bathroom items.

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