7 Common Things That Can Be Recycled, and 7 Things That Can’t — This Green Lifestyle

While adding the wrong items in your mixed recycling bin might result in contamination, chances are some of those items could still be recycled. For example, plastic bags are almost never allowed in commingled recycling, but they can be recycled and are often accepted around town, such as at grocery stores.

Keep reading to learn about some common items that you can recycle in order to further divert the amount of waste ending up in landfills.

Can I recycle pizza boxes?

Pizza boxes are made of corrugated cardboard, an easily recycled resource. But what if there’s oily residue soaked into the cardboard? Can you still recycle a pizza box then? It’s not as if you can simply rinse it off, right?

Contrary to popular belief, you can recycle most pizza boxes, and even cardboard that’s gotten wet, for that matter.

In fact, a WestRock study found that low levels of grease contamination does not affect the quality of resulting recycled paper. So, as long as you remove all bits of pizza first, you can certainly recycle the box it came in.

7 common things that can be recycled

While commingled recycling makes recycling easier than ever, most municipalities have strict rules for what can and can’t be put in the recycling bin. For example, in one town you might be able to recycle all #5 plastics, while in the next town over you can’t.

For your local guidelines, you should check your local municipality. That said, there are a number of common items that even when not accepted in mixed recycling can be set aside to take to a drop-off location in town. Although many recycling facilities accept drop-offs, you might find some unexpected locations, such as grocery stores!

Keep your eye out for resources to help you find places to recycle some of these common items:

Corks

While plastic bottle caps are often (though not always) accepted in mixed recycling, corks are usually not. That’s partly because they’re easily contaminated, and yet, cork is a valuable and limited resource. That’s because it’s harvested from the cork oak tree.

While corks are easily reused in craft projects, the material itself can be broken down and made into new things, such as shoe soles or new, unlimited corks. So don’t throw those corks out–save them and bring them to a local drop-off or ship them to a company such as ReCORK!

Plastic bags and film

Plastic bags are often considered a huge nuisance for waste management companies, as they are one of the most common items to clog up sorting machinery. That’s why you’ll find that you can’t put any plastic bags or film in your commingled recycling. But did you know that these items can be recycled, to be used to make new products?

As long as the bags and film are clean and dry, you can collect and save them until you’re ready to take them to a drop off location near you.

Can carriers

Can carriers for 4-packs and 6-packs of cans are now commonly made out of hard plastic, a material that can often be recycled. These innovative products are designed to replace plastic 6-pack rings that have been strangling and endangering sea life for years.

Fortunately, can carriers made by companies such as PakTech are fully recyclable, as long as they’re taken to a participating drop off location.

Unused paint, stain, and oil

Paints, stains, and oils are important to keep out of the landfill and are often considered hazardous waste. While some oil-based paints and oils are not always accepted, most local landfills/recycling facilities will accept unused leftovers as a drop-off or as part of a special promotion.

If possible, use these tips to store your paint for longer so you don’t have to throw it out in the first place.

Batteries

Batteries are another item that you should avoid tossing in the trash whenever possible. Not only are they always recyclable, but they can present a serious hazard to the environment. Instead, keep a bin of used batteries and take them into a local drop off when you have the chance.

Next time you need to buy batteries, consider getting a pack of reusable ones instead!