Foil-like packaging is very flimsy and has no recyclable value. Putting chip bags in your recycling is contamination that the recycling facility has to sort out and throw away. Put them in the garbage.

It may sound silly to even have to say, but please don’t put dog poop in the recycling bin! Dog waste is a NON-compostable, organic material, and NO organic material can be recycled in your recycling bin. Poop, and other organics, contaminate TONS of materials! Contaminated material goes to the landfill instead of being reused to make new materials. Put your dog poop in the garbage.

Single-use cups, plates, cutlery, straws, and other single-use plastics are one of the top contaminants seen in curbside recycling bins. They’re made of plastic, so they must be recyclable right? NO! When disposable party cups or fast-food beverage cups are collected, they become smashed and broken before even making it to a recycling facility. Once the cups reach the facility, they are flat and misshapen, and are not able to be detected by sorting equipment as plastic. Put your single-use plastic items in the garbage. Or - bring your own reusable items and refuse unnecessary single-use items!

K-Cups® and other single-serve beverage pods are made of plastic, but they are too small to be sorted at a recycling facility. Plus, they are contaminated with coffee grounds. Solution: Use a reusable and refillable K cup with your favorite coffee (and remember - the flexible coffee bag isn’t recyclable and belongs in the garbage).