What material can you recycle in single-stream?
- All containers should be empty of food or liquid. Food containers should be rinsed.
- Caps or lids should be put back on containers after rinsing.
- Ideally, your recycling is placed clean and loose in your recycling toter. A liner is not necessary and is not recyclable so if you use a bag to line your indoor receptacle it is best to dump recyclables out of the bag into the outside bin and re-use the bag to line your indoor recycling or trash bin.
- Containers don’t need to be crushed.
- No Styrofoam of any kind. Â
Acceptable Recycling Materials
Paper
Clean, dry, and unsoiled.
- Paper 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 (transparent 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
Metal
- Aerosal spray cans (must be empty)
- Aluminum cans
- Aluminum foil
- 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 left on)
- Drinking cups
- Jars
Plastics
Solid plastics can be recycled.
- Antifreeze bottles (empty)
- 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)
- Laundry detergent bottles
- Motor oil bottles (only if empty)
- Toys (no electronics, metal or batteries)
- Tubs, trays and lids (like yogurt containers and Tupperware)
- Utensils
See the Recyclopedia if you have any questions about any of the above.
Unacceptable Recycling Materials
Items marked in green are accepted at the Community Compost Program.
- Batteries
- Books/DVDs
- Clothing, linens and rags
- Construction debris
- Corks
- Electronics
- Food scraps
- Hazardous materials or chemicals
- Light bulbs: incandescent, LEDs and fluorescent
- Ink or toner cartridges
- Major appliances
- Medical waste or medicines
- Mirrors
- Plates and vases
- Plastic bags and wrapping
- Soiled paper napkins, tissues, towels
- Styrofoam
- Thin film plastic
- Tiles
- Trash
- Window panes
- Wire hangers
- Wood
- Wrappers: all plastic lining bags and wraps
- Yard waste, leaves, trimmings
Now that plastic bags are no longer accepted in single stream recycling, what should we do with them?
Reuse them! If you throw them in the trash, they are hauled to be burned at the incinerator in Peekskill and used for energy.
For information on how to dispose of non-recyclable items safely and legally, visit our Recyclopedia.
