What can go in my blue bin? The answer — and even the bin color — can be different from one neighborhood to the next, so we’ll try to help curb the confusion.
Most U.S. residents who have recycling at home can toss items such as cans, bottles, cardboard and old editions of The Washington Post together into one container.
That’s called single-stream recycling, and while it is convenient for us, it means all those different materials have to be trucked away and sorted before they can go to a paper mill, a plastics recycler and so on. So far, so good.
This is the basic sorting process at the Manassas, Va., materials recovery facility. The types of equipment and the arrangement of the machines may be different in other places.
Pile of
recyclables
Drum
feeder
At many points in the process, human sorters watch the line and pull out items that shouldn’t be there.
Cardboard
sorting
Paper, plastic and metal keeps going
Glass sorting
Paper
sorting
Ballistic
separator
A computerized optical sorter recognizes paper and blows it off the line.
Separates objects by shape and material in 2D and 3D.
Plastic
sorting
Magnetic
belt
Plastics
Nos. 1 and 2
Plastics
No. 5
Optical sorters use image-recognition and beams of light to detect different types of plastic.
Last
chance
Aluminum
sorting
People look for any remaining recyclables before the “residue” goes to the trash.
This is the basic sorting process at the Manassas, Va., materials recovery facility. The types of equipment and the arrangement of the machines may be different in other places.
Pile of
recyclables
Drum
feeder
Cardboard
sorting
At many points in the process, human sorters watch the line and pull out items that shouldn’t be there.
Paper, plastic and metal keeps going
Glass sorting
Paper
sorting
Ballistic
separator
Separates objects by shape and material in 2D and 3D.
A computerized optical sorter recognizes paper and blows it off the line.
Plastic
sorting
Magnetic
belt
Plastics
Nos. 1 and 2
Plastics
No. 5
Optical sorters use image-recognition and beams of light to detect different types of plastic.
Last
chance
Aluminum
sorting
People look for any remaining recyclables before the “residue” goes to the trash.
This is the basic sorting process at the Manassas, Va., materials recovery facility. The types of equipment and the arrangement of the machines may be different in other places.
At many points in the process, human sorters watch the line and pull out items that shouldn’t be there.
Pile of
recyclables
Drum
feeder
Cardboard
sorting
Paper
sorting
Paper, plastic and metal keeps going
Glass sorting
A computerized optical sorter recognizes paper and blows it off the line.
Aluminum
sorting
Ballistic
separator
Magnetic
belt
Plastic
sorting
Separates objects by shape and material in 2D and 3D.
Plastics
No. 5
Plastics
Nos. 1 and 2
Optical sorters use image-recognition and beams of light to detect different types of plastic.
Last
chance
People look for any remaining recyclables before the “residue” goes to the trash.
This is the basic sorting process at the Manassas, Va., materials recovery facility. The types of equipment and the arrangement of the machines may be different in other places.
Cardboard
sorting
Pile of
recyclables
Drum
feeder
Glass sorting
At many points in the process, human sorters watch the line and pull out items that shouldn’t be there.
Aluminum
sorting
Plastic
sorting
Magnetic
belt
Ballistic
separator
Paper
sorting
Separates objects by shape and material in 2D and 3D.
A computerized optical sorter recognizes paper and blows it off the line.
Plastics
No. 5
Plastics
Nos. 1 and 2
Last
chance
Optical sorters use image-recognition and beams of light to detect different types of plastic.
People look for any remaining recyclables before the “residue” goes to the trash.
The puzzling geographical differences between what can and can’t go into a bin arise because not all sorting technology is identical, and not all local markets for recycling materials are the same.
The result is that a lot of people mean well but recycle wrong.
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Fortunately, if you know some key information, you can improve your recycling no matter where you live.
Question 1 of 8
Plastic bags are recyclable, so they just go in the bin, right?
Yes, anything that is recyclable can go in the bin.No, take plastic bags to the grocery store.Question 2 of 8
Do recyclables have to be totally clean and dry, or more like my-dog-licked-out-all-the-peanut-butter clean and dry?
Squeaky clean and completely dry.Rinsed — even Spot-cleaned — is usually good enough.Doesn’t matter. Gunk will boil off in the process.Story continues below advertisement
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Question 3 of 8
Okay, no bags in the bin. Can all other plastics go in?
Sure, why not?Doesn’t matter. Plastics never get recycled anyway.No, but bottles and jugs are accepted in most places.Question 4 of 8
Plastic caps and bottles seem like different things, so should I leave the caps off?
Yes, that will help in the sorting.Only if the cap is a different color than the bottle.No, the caps are too small by themselves.Question 5 of 8
Do I need to remove tape from boxes, staples from catalogues and windows from envelopes?
No, no, and no.Yes, yes and yes.Question 6 of 8
Cans and bottles get crushed anyway, so can I just do that myself to save space in my bin?
Yes, it’s a fun party activity.Only if you can get them to be very small and flat.No, the sorting machines may not recognize them.Question 7 of 8
What’s the worst thing I can put in my bin?
A bicycle.A battery.A car bumper.Question 8 of 8
Which handy slogan helps consumers know whether something should go in their recycling bin?
If in doubt, throw it out!Want to win? Chuck it in!Never stress, just take a guess!Ready to fill your bin?
Click on the items you’d put into your recycling bin, and we’ll tell you if you’re right according to what’s accepted in most places.
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