What Can Be Recycled in Curbside Carts?
Items that go into the recycling cart or can be taken to community recycling drop-offs include:
- Cardboard
- Cartons
- Metal food and beverage cans
- Paper
- Plastic bottles and jugs
To help reduce contamination in the recycling stream, proper preparation of accepted recyclable materials is essential. Select from the items on this page to learn how to prepare your recyclables before placing them in your cart. If you still have additional questions, email us at talk@summitreworks.com
The following materials are accepted in curbside single stream recycling programs, and at community single stream recycling drop-off locations:
Metal Food & Beverage Cans
Metal food and beverage cans for curbside recycling and at community single stream recycling drop-off locations should be emptied and rinsed. Labels do not need to be removed.
Do not include metal hangers, scrap metal, lawn mower blades, metal pipes or other metal objects in your curbside recycling. However, these items can be recycled at a scrap metal yard.
Cardboard
To prepare cardboard for curbside recycling and at community single stream recycling drop-off locations, make sure the cardboard is dry, clean (no food/oil), and flattened.
Cartons
To prepare cartons for curbside recycling and at community single stream recycling drop-off locations, make sure they are emptied, rinsed and the lid removed. Don't flatten cartons and it is okay to keep the plastic spout attached. Cartons are commonly used for:
- Juice
- Milk
- Soy or grain milk
- Stock/broth and soup
Interested in knowing more about cartons? Visit the Carton Council's Frequently Asked Questions page.
Paper
Paper that can be placed in curbside recycling and at community single stream recycling drop-off locations includes items such as:
- Cereal boxes
- Magazines
- Newspapers
- Office paper
Shredded Paper
Do not put shredded paper in curbside recycling programs. Shredded paper contaminates other recyclables and material recovery facilities (MRFs) have difficulty capturing the small fibers for recycling.
It is better to take advantage of ReWorks' free Document Shredding and Recycling Events where all of your important papers will be shredded on site and then properly recycled through a facility equipped for paper only recycling.
For More Information
For more information on paper recycling and shredding, visit:
Plastic Bottles & Jugs
Bottles and jugs for curbside recycling and at community single stream recycling drop-off locations, should be emptied, rinsed, and the lid removed (lids are too small to be captured at recycling centers).
This includes items like:
- Bleach bottles
- Laundry detergent jugs
- Milk
- Shampoo bottles
- Water and juice jugs
- Water and soda bottles
Most local recycling processors are only able to accept plastic bottles and jugs. Please support recycling by not putting other types of plastic into your recycling container. If you do, it will likely have to be sorted out as trash.