What material can you recycle in single-stream?
All containers should be empty of food or liquid. Food containers should be rinsed.
Containers don’t need to be crushed. No Styrofoam of any kind.
Acceptable Recycling Materials
Paper
Clean, dry, and unsoiled.
- Address labels and stickers
- Bags
- All boxes, paperboard, waxed board (like cereal or tissue boxes)
- Corrugated cardboard boxes
- Cereal boxes
- Computer and office paper, all kinds
- Egg cartons (no Styrofoam)
- Envelopes (clear windows OK)
- Juice or milk containers, with plastic caps and rings
- Mail, magazines, catalogs
- Newspapers
- Office paper, file folders
- Packing or craft paper
- Phone books
- Sticky notes
- Shredded paper (must be placed in sealed bag)
- Wrapping paper
Metal
- Aerosal spray cans (must be empty)
- Aluminum cans
- Aluminum foil
- Caps and lids (bottles, jars, cans)
- Paint cans (must be empty or dry)
- Pie pans, trays, to-go containers
- Scrap metal (any size as long as it fits in bin)
- Steel (tin) cans
Glass
Must be empty, light rinse only. No Pyrex, ceramics or mirrors.
- Bottles and jars (metal caps and lids are OK)
- Drinking cups
- Jars
Plastics
Solid plastics can be recycled. There is no need to check the number on the plastic.
- Antifreeze bottles
- Bottles and caps
- Buckets (metal handle OK)
- Cups, lids and plates (no Styrofoam)
- Containers, clamshells and to-go packaging
- Garden/flower pots and trays
- Hazardous chemical containers (only if empty)
- Jugs
- Laundry detergent bottles
- Medicine bottles (only if empty)
- Molded plastic packaging
- Motor oil bottles (only if empty)
- Rigid Plastics (like Little Tykes Toys)
- Toys (no electronics, metal or batteries)
- Tubs, trays and lids (like yogurt containers and Tupperware)
- Utensils
Unacceptable Recycling Materials
As of 2018 these items marked in red are temporarily not accepted for recycling. Place these items in the trash.
Items marked in green are accepted at the Community Compost Program.
- Batteries
- Ceramic dishware
- Clothing, linens and rags
- Construction debris
- Corks, plastic and cork
- Electronics
- Food scraps
- Hazardous materials or chemicals
- Light bulbs: incandescent, fluorescent and LEDs
- Ink or toner cartridges
- Major appliances
- Medical waste or medicines
- Mirrors
- Plates and vases
- Pyrex
- Soiled paper napkins, tissues, towels
- Styrofoam
- Tires
- Tiles
- Trash
- Window panes
- Wire hangers
- Wood
- Yard waste, leaves, trimmings
Unacceptable Plastics
- Bags: all plastic bags and wrapping of any kind
- Boat wrap
- Bubble wrap
- CDs, DVDs, CD-ROMs and cases
- Plastic-coated paper plates
- Shrink wrap and thin-film plastic
- Six-pack holders (cut up before disposal)
- Wax paper
- Wrappers: all plastic wrapper or lining bags
For information on how to dispose of non-recyclable items safely and legally, visit our Recyclopedia.
Download a printable PDF of this handy list.
Click here for our June 2018 Press Release announcing changes to Single Stream Recycling.
