Many plastic food and beverage containers can be placed in your curbside recycling cart. The County’s curbside recycling program accepts plastics #1 - #7, with the exception of Styrofoam. Acceptable plastic containers include kitty litter buckets, laundry baskets, detergent bottles, milk and juice jugs, butter tubs, yogurt containers, shampoo and conditioner bottles, soda bottles, water bottles and toys. As long as the plastic item has a #1 – #7 stamped on it, usually on the bottom or side, and located within the “chasing arrows” symbol, it is ok to put in your recycling cart.
Make sure all items are empty, clean (no food residue) and dry before placing them loose in your recycling cart. All motors and fluids in plastic toys must be removed and properly disposed of before putting the plastic toy in the recycling cart.
Plastic bags are a little different. Thin, stretchy plastic, like zip-lock bags, single-use grocery bags, bubble wrap and air pillows used for packaging, are not accepted in your curbside recycling cart. However, some local businesses do accept these items for recycling.
Visit the Plastic Film Recycling website to find a nearby drop-off location. And, please remember: if you bag your recyclables, do not put the bag in the recycling cart. Empty the recyclables into your cart, reuse the bag, or toss it in the garbage cart.
Why? The County’s contracted recycling processors do not break open bagged materials as they move across conveyor belts. All materials placed in bags are treated like garbage and end up in the landfill.
For recyclables to be processed, marketed, and made into new items, recyclables must be placed empty, clean, dry, and loose in the recycling cart. Green waste – yard clippings, tree prunings, etc., should also be placed loose in the green waste cart. Please do not place bagged green waste in your green waste cart.