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Home Zero Waste Recycle Materials Details Acceptable Materials for Landfill

Acceptable Materials for Landfill

Breadcrumb

Home Zero Waste Recycle Materials Details Acceptable Materials for Landfill

Acceptable Materials for Landfill


 

Keep these items OUT of the Recycle and Compost bins

compostable paper items

No Compostable Paper

Due to changing guidelines the following items are not currently being accepted for composting

  • No plastic lined paper
  • No wax coated paper is okay
  • No #7 PLA coated paper
Peper Towels, Napkins, Wood

No Paper Towels/Napkins/Wood

Due to changing guidelines the following items are not currently being accepted for composting

  • No paper towels, napkins, or tissues
  • do not put them in the recycling bin... the paper quality is too low to be recycled and there is often food residue on them
  • No cloth, plastic coated, or other types of rags
  • No wood
Compostable Plastics

No Compostable Plastics

Due to changing guidelines the following items are not currently being accepted for composting

  • NO certified compostable plastics, even if they have the following identifiers:
    • BPI Certified
    • #7 PLA on the plastic
    • the word "Compostable"
Plastic Bags

No Plastic Bags

  • Plastic Bags are a "Hard to Recycle" item
  • Bags need to be kept seperate, clean, and dry
  • Take bags to a special place for recycling: CHaRM, Grocery Stores, Home Depot
  • Do not put bags in your normal recycling bin
  • Bags get caught in recycling sorting equipment and cause machines to break/bind up
  • Avoid plastic bags and bring reusable bags wherever you go
paper cups

No Paper Cups

  • Most paper cups have a plastic lining on the inside
  • This plastic lining cannot be seperated when recycling paper back to pulp
  • Plastic linings create enough contamination to ruin a batch of paper recycling
  • Do not put any paper cups into the recycling bin
  • If the cup says "compostable", it can go into the compost bin
frozen food boxes

No Frozen Food Boxes

  • Frozen food boxes have a "chemical wet strength" barrier that soaks through paper fibers
  • "Wet strength" is used to prevent freezer burn or leakage in transport
  • This chemical also contaminates the paper recycling process when mixed with normal paper fibers
  • Some companies make recyclable frozen food boxes, but most frozen boxes are not recyclable so keep them out of the recycling
Wrappers & Packets

No Wrappers & Packets

  • "Film Plastics" or thin plastic films cannot be recycled in your normal recycling bin
  • Wrappers and packets cannot be easily seperated with sorting equipment
  • Wrappers and packets often do not have an end market to turn into a new product
  • Some companies, like Teracycle, have options if wrappers are kept seperate and shipped directly to them
Styrofoam

No Styrofoam

  • Styrofoam is not acceptable in your normal recycling bin
  • #6PS (PolyStyrene) Block Foam is a "Hard to Recycle" item and has to be kept seperate, clean, and dry to be recycled at a special location (CHaRM in Boulder)
  • Styrofoam serving ware (cups, plates, to-go boxes, utensils, etc) cannot be recycled and must go to the landfill
  • Styrofoam packing peanuts cannot be recycled.  Please put them in a bag (so they don't fly away into the creek) and put them in the landfill bin
Neon & Goldenrod Paper

No Neon & Goldenrod Paper

  • Neon, Goldenrod, and any Heavily Dyed paper is not recyclable
  • The paper fibers have too much dye to be removed without a lot of chemicals, if at all
  • Imagine putting a red sock in your white laundry load... it will dye the rest of the paper and ruin a batch that is being recycled
ceramics

No Ceramics

  • Ceramics contaminate the glass recycling process
  • Ceramics have a different melting temperature than glass
  • If mixed with glass during recycling, ceramics cause impurities in the glass, causing it to break
  • Donate any dishware, mugs, or reusable dishware to your local thrift store
  • Ceramics cannot be recycled themselves and must be put in the landfill
Mirrors, Lightbulbs, & Glass Panes

No Mirrors, Lightbulbs, & Glass Panes

  • These glass types all contaminate the glass recycling process
  • They have a different melting temperature than glass
  • If mixed with glass, these items will cause impurities in the glass, causing it to break
  • Donate any reusable mirrors to your local thrift store
  • Mirrors cannot be recycled themselves and must be put in the landfill
  • Light Bulbs can be taken to a hard to recycle location or must be put in the landfill
  • Glass Panes can be taken to a hard to recycle location or  must be put in the landfill
lab glass and pyrex

No Lab Glass & Pyrex

  • Lab Glass and Pyrex Glass have different melting temperatures than glass in drinking bottles
  • Any amount of these items will contaminate the glass drinking bottle recycling process
  • There are currently not any markets to use recycled lab glass or pyrex, so they must go into the landfill

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