Recycling has started becoming more and more popular over the last few years, and it is excellent.  Recycling can have many benefits like preventing unnecessary waste,  reducing new plastic production, and creating a healthier environment.  All though it might seem like you can throw most papers and plastics into the recycling bin, there are a few things that cannot be recycled.

What can and can't be recycled and why?  There are a few everyday items that cannot be recycled because they can damage recycling equipment, or recycling centers will send them to the dumpster anyway.  Below is a list of 5 everyday items that cannot be recycled in most curbside recycling programs.

1. Items With Plastic Coatings

Many everyday objects have plastic coatings inside of them that make them non-recyclable.  Some items include most coffee cups,  juice boxes, and chip bags.  The plastic coating makes it difficult to separate the paper from the plastic, and because of this, most recycling programs won't accept them. 

• Paper Coffee Cups
• Juice Boxes
• Chip Bags

It is highly likely that you won't be able to recycle the items listed above with your local curbside recycling program, but some programs do have exceptions.  You will want to double-check with your local recycling center to be on the safe side.

2. Colored Paper

The dyes used in color paper makes it difficult for paper mills to repurpose.  Just like you don't want to mix colors with whites in your laundry,  mills don't combine color paper and white paper.  They don't mix the two because the dye can bleed and produce an inferior paper product.  

You should keep construction paper and color cardstock out of your recycling bin.  An exception to this is sticky notes, which are accepted by most recycling centers.

3. Plastic Grocery Bags

Most people use grocery bags weekly or even daily.  Unfortunately, most recycling centers do not take plastic grocery bags.  They don't accept plastic bags because their equipment is only made to break down rigid plastics.  Plastic grocery bags can cause damage to machines.

Fortunately,  many grocery stores accept plastic bags for recycling.  The plastic in grocery bags is recyclable; it just needs to be processed with the correct machines.

“Rigid plastics should be placed in curbside bins while flexible plastics get recycled at 18,000 participating grocery and retail stores. We need consumers to help us keep flexible plastics out of curbside bins because most communities have invested in recycling equipment designed for rigid items, such as bottles, containers and cans. Flexible plastics can get stuck in equipment costing recyclers time and money to fix.”

Steve Russell | Vice President of Plastics, American Chemistry Council

You can use PlasticFilmRecycling.org to find a retail drop-off location near you.

4. Anything With Food Sticking to It

I think we are all guilty of putting boxes and cartons with food contaminants into the recycling bin.  Food contaminants can cause machine used by recycling centers and dumps to fail.  To help local recycling centers in Park City and the surrounding area,  consider leaving out the following items from your recycling bin.

• Greasy Pizza Boxes
• Used Napkins
• Used Paper Plates(with residue)
• Dirty Take-out Containers

What About Bottle Caps?

“Plastic bottle caps are widely collected for recycling across the United States. A recent report found that 76% of Americans have access to recycling programs that collect bottle caps…The important thing is for consumers to twist caps back on their plastic bottles and jugs before placing them in the bin. Loose caps often fall through typical recycling equipment and don’t get recycled.”

Steve Russell | Vice President of Plastics, American Chemistry Council

5. Foam Packing Peanuts

Foam packing peanuts are not accepted by most recycling centers.  Foam packing peanuts are made from polystyrene, or what is commonly referred to as Styrofoam.  While recycling centers can recycle Styrofoam, packing peanuts cause problems because the machines used to sort them aren't able to correctly sort them.  Packing peanuts fall through the machines and cause big messes for recycling centers.

“The scope of acceptable material largely depends on the type of recycling equipment available in each community,” says Russell from the American Chemistry Council. “For this reason, it’s important to check local requirements to verify what you can put in your bin. That information can usually be found online through local resources. Don’t risk contaminating all the good material your community collects by putting the wrong items in the bin.”

Conclusion

Recycling can have a lot of benefits and has become more popular.  There are everyday items that are not able to be processed by recycling centers.  If you aren't sure if you can recycle something, a quick call to your local recycling center will give you a definite answer.

Items You Shouldn't Recycle

• Foam Packing Peanuts
• Greasy Pizza Boxes
• Used Napkins
• Used Paper Plates(with residue)
• Dirty Take-out Containers
• Plastic Grocery Bags
• Colored Paper
• Paper Coffee Cups
• Juice Boxes
• Chip Bags
• Items With Plastic Coatings