Category: Recycle

When in doubt, leave it out of the recycling bin

4/3/2026

Do not put something in the recycling bin just because you hope it is recyclable. When in doubt, leave it out.
Any items that are not recyclable have to be sorted out of the mixed recycling. The sorting machinery catches some of it, but many items have to be removed manually. Waste and recycling collection has become the fourth most dangerous job in the country, after roofers, fishing and hunting workers, and logging workers. Many injuries and deaths are caused by items that should never have been put in a recycling bin. Film plastic (especially plastic bags) gum up the sorting machinery and has to be removed by hand. Large items like pieces of wood and broom handles do not fit in the machinery at all and also have to be removed by hand. Leave these out of your recycling.

Read more at earth911.com

Plastic plant pots are not recyclable curbside

3/27/2026

Don’t recycle black plastic garden plug trays. They can’t be identified by the sorting technology at most recycling centers even with a recyclable code because the dark color absorbs the scanner’s light.
Even if a recycling center could sort them, they would need to be cleaned of leftover soil and roots, which is not practical for curbside programs. You can reuse them or take them to Home Depot for reuse, however, and look for the many compostable alternatives out there.

Read more at earth911

Most gift cards make waste by not being recyclable

1/23/2026

Gift cards are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and should be thrown in the trash, not in the recycling, except for paper gift cards.

In the United States alone, 50,700 tons of plastic waste are generated yearly from gift cards. Best Buy converted to paper gift cards in 2021 and other companies are following suit, fortunately. Digital gift cards are another plastic-free option.

Read more at Earth911

Photo by Mike Mozart, Flickr

Recycle string lights

12/19/2025

Providence Friends Meeting House collects holiday string lights for recycling in early January only.

After the holidays, recycle all your broken string lights at the Providence Friends Meeting House at 105 North Providence Road in Media. The collection bin is located outside the meeting house and is only available in early January.

Wrap gifts with reusable or recyclable materials

11/29/2025

Be mindful about wrapping materials this holiday season. Wrapping paper with plastic or metallic additives such as glitter and foil cannot be recycled. Tissue paper cannot be recycled. Bows can be reused but not recycled.

A common misconception is that all wrapping paper can be recycled.

Read more at ecologycenter.org

Put mixed recycling loose, not bagged, in the bin

11/7/2025

Don’t put mixed recyclables in a plastic bag. Closed plastic bags with items inside are considered contamination at recycling facilities.

Plastic bags and curbside recycling don’t mix! Both plastic bags used to contain recyclables and those that are tossed into recycling bins are problematic for recyclers.

If you use a plastic bag for storing household or office recyclables, open it and dump contents into your recycling bin so all items are loose. Save your plastic bag for reuse or recycle it at the supermarket. If neither option is viable, discard it in your garbage so it doesn’t cause costly shutdowns at the recycling plant.

Single-stream curbside programs rely on mechanical sorting of recyclables. The business model for recyclers depends, in turn, on keeping the machinery running efficiently. Plastic bags slow things down in two ways:

If used to contain recyclables, plastic bags have to be separated out and ripped open by workers, so that the recyclables can be removed and sorted. That’s so inefficient that recyclers may sideline plastic bags and send them to landfills instead.
Plastic bags that are included in curbside recycling bins along with other materials – especially the flimsy, single-use bags used by many supermarkets and big-box stores – clog sorting machinery. That results in costly downtime at sorting plants.

Most supermarkets collect plastic bags for recycling, so returning them to the store where you got them is a good option. Alternatively, try to cut down on the number of plastic bags you use in the first place. When running errands, take along a reusable shopping bag instead!

Read more at earth911.com

More reduce and reuse, less recycle

10/24/2025

Focus first on waste reduction: reduce and reuse before relying on recycling

Reducing and reusing have greater value in terms of sustainability than recycling. Buying less new stuff and getting more use out of already existing stuff uses less resources and produces less waste. Recycling can be difficult to do correctly, and many materials remain unrecyclable. Despite this, there is a tendency for people attempting to be more sustainable to prioritize recycling over reduce or reuse. This behavior has been termed “recycling bias” and “reduction neglect.” The more effective way to reduce waste is to prevent its creation rather than relying on recycling.

See more details in this 2023 article in theconversation.com by Michaela Barnett, Leidy Klotz, Patrick I. Hancock, and Shahzeen Attari.

Recycle clothing, even in poor condition

8/29/2025

Imperfect clothing, textiles, and scraps can be confidently donated to The Wardrobe in Upper Darby for their upcycling initiatives. Their mission is combating clothing insecurity.

Keep those items out of the waste stream and donate items in good shape, as well. Simply separate the imperfect items and scraps into their own bag or box. Local news outlets recently celebrated The Wardrobe for 30 years of success and growth in its outreach.

Read more here:
https://careerwardrobe.org/get-involved/clothing-donations/
https://careerwardrobe.org/faq/

Recycle old shoes

3/14/2025

Recycle both usable and worn-out shoes at the Swarthmore Food Co-op
Drop off your unwanted shoes into the box in the back corner of the store. Footwear of any style, even if it is worn-out and unwearable, is accepted. All donations are recycled through Native Shoes Remix Project. The donated shoes are reprocessed and repurposed for community projects such as seating, playground flooring, insulation, and other products. Learn more about the Remix recycling process.

Compost paper towels, napkins

2/21/2025

Paper towels, napkins, and tissues cannot be recycled because their fibers are too short. Instead, compost them.

Papermaking fibers can typically be recycled five to seven times before they become too short to be recycled again. Paper towels and napkins are the last stop in the recycling chain. Also, only clean recovered paper that is free of food, trash, and other contaminants can be recycled at all.

Read more at StanfordMag.org

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

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