Recycle 101

Useful information

To start, these are recycling tips if you have a bin provided by your city's Waste Management Department. I have one here in Los Angeles, the recycling ones here are blue.

What can I recycle? Glass, plastic bottles, metal cans, and mixed paper. All materials must be clean (rinsed) Do not put trash or non- recyclables in your recycle bin. The importance of rinsing the cans or etc before recycling them is the chemicals or food particles etc. left in your containers can get mixed in with the recycling batch to mix in with the glass, plastic, etc. It makes it so that the materials can't be recycled.

Glass: Rinsed and empty glass food/beverage containers, lids and labels can stay on. Glass that shouldn't be put in your recycle bin: Dishes, light bulbs, windows, mirror glass or glass from cookware. (This is stuff you should research online how to properly dispose of it. It is in a different category because it melts at a different temperature than the other glass.)

Metal: Rinsed and Empty, tin, aluminum and steel food and beverage cans; lids and labels can stay on. Clean Aluminum pie plates and foil. Aerosol can. Do not crush metal containers. If you have other metals, again, research how to properly dispose of these items online.

Plastic: Empty, narrow-necked bottles (plastic codes 1 through 7). These include water, soda, milk, juice, and detergent bottles. Lids and labels can stay on. Bags within Bags, Wide-mouthed containers, Rigid Plastics (large toys, jugs, laundry baskets, lawn furniture, butter tubs, yogurt cups, medicine bottles). You CANNOT put the following plastic items in your recycle bin: Bottles from automotive products, pesticides or other toxins. Foam products (e.g. cups, peanuts, trays), plastic food wrapping, food/computer product clamshells.

Paper: there are lots of rules for Paper. For more information on paper products you can recycle and LOTS of other useful information click here: http://www.recycle.dpw.dc.gov/recycle/cwp/view,a,1374,q,617354.asp.

Hope this helps! Of course, when in doubt, Google!