Tips for Better Recycling

Recycling right is about more than putting the correct items in the correct bin. Those items also need to arrive at the recycling facility in a way they can be efficiently sorted and processed into new materials that are usable and valuable. Reducing contamination in the recycling stream is essential for making recycling more efficient and cost effective and for increasing the market for recycled materials.  

Below are tips and best practices to make sure you're recycling in the way that ensures your items will actually be recycled. 

  • If you have curbside service through Shawnee County Solid Waste, check out their curbside recycling guide and informational video to make sure you know what you can put in your bin. Many people are surprised to learn that common plastics like "clamshells" are not accepted, even if they're marked as recyclable. Here's why. (Note that the graphic on the curbside recycling guide is misleading with regard to egg cartons. Cardboard cartons can be recycled. Plastic or styrofoam cartons cannot.)
  • Containers should be empty, rinsed, and free from food debris or remaining product.
  • Lids should be left on plastic containers. This applies even if the lid is a different type of plastic than the container. They will be separated during the recycling process, but lids floating loose in your bin will fall through the machinery and not be recycled.
  • Foil lids should be removed from plastic containers. Keep foil lids and other aluminum foil until you have enough to form a ball, then put the whole mass in your curbside bin. Little pieces of foil will fall through the machinery, and leaving the foil attached to the plastic will make it less likely that either gets recycled.
  • Labels may be left on metal cans.
  • The top of metal cans should be left attached or removed and put inside the can with the opening crimped so the lid will not fall out. This will ensure that the lid is not recycled and does not fall through the machinery or get sorted out with other flat materials, such as paper and cardboard.
  • Cardboard boxes should be flattened, but other items should not be crushed. The machinery is designed to recognize cans, cartons, etc., in their original form. 
  • Items should be loose—not nested or bagged. Nested and bagged items will be filtered out and thrown away as the system is not designed to handle them. 
  • Items smaller than 2"x2" should not be recycled, except through the TerraCycle program. It will fall through standard recycling machinery. TerraCycle uses more specialized processes that allow for the recycling of very small items. 
  • Compostable or bio-based plastics can not be recycled, only composted. 
  • For information where to recycle what in Topeka, refer to our Recycling Directory or the comprehensive Keep America Beautiful Recycling Directory. 
  • Look for How2Recycle labels on your products. These labels tell you in words (not just numbers!) how to recycle that item. You can't rely on them for complex or county-specific information, but they can definitely inform your understanding of what to do with a given product.
  • When in doubt, leave it out. We all want to recycle everything, but "contamination" (non-recycable items that end up at the recycling facility) puts a burden on the process and increases the cost of doing business for the recycler. A low contamination rate gives the county leverage in negoating a contract that helps keep recycling affordable for everyone!

Still have questions? We're not recycling experts, but we'll try to help you find answers. Feel free to drop us a line at info@fullcirclesustainability.org, and we'll share what we know!