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To help you get recycling right, here’s a guide to what goes in your recycling bin and what doesn’t. You can also download and print our recycling guide (PDF).
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Removed from plastic sleeves and bags
Emptied, rinsed, and dry—lids and caps on
Emptied, rinsed, and dry—lids and caps on
Emptied, rinsed, and dry
Flattened and free of grease and food
Emptied, rinsed, and dry—lids and caps on
Not everything with a recycling symbol is accepted as curbside recycling. Some materials aren’t safe or useful for recycling. Learn what to keep out of your recycling bin.
Plastic bags are not recyclable curbside. They tear and wrap around the moving parts in recycling processing machines, leading to higher maintenance costs, equipment damage, and even worker-safety issues.
Needles and syringes should go in your regular trash in a strong plastic container or wrapped in cloth. Contaminating the recycling stream with these items not only ruins good materials and damages equipment—it endangers our recycling workers.
Remove all shipping or packing materials (such as packing peanuts and Styrofoam blocks). Empty boxes should then be collapsed, folded, and placed inside the recycling bin.
Recyclables must be put out in a bin—not in a bag or cardboard box. Find out how to get a recycling bin.
Curbside collection is not your only option. The City has six sanitation convenience centers, composting programs, and other resources to help you properly recycle items not collected at the curb.
Learn how to recycle special items.
Now that you’ve learned what goes in the bin and what stays out, test your recycling knowledge.