Recycling Guide

General Guidelines for Preparing Materials

• Glass (food and beverage bottles) - Rinsed, lids removed, and sorted by color (window glass, light bulbs, etc., are not accepted)
• Pie tins and aluminum foil - Free of food particles and kept separate from aluminum cans
• Oil - Place in a container which is free from other materials to avoid contaminating oil
• Office and computer paper - Check with your local recycling center for guidelines
• Polystyrene (egg cartons, meat trays, etc.) - Separated from other plastics
• Plastic bottles and milk jugs - Rinsed, flattened; lids and rings removed
• Aluminum or steel beverage cans - Free of liquid and foreign material
• Newspaper - Clean and dry, do not bundle in plastic bags
• Tin / steel cans - Rinsed

Additional Information

Even though certain items are not accepted for recycling they can be reused. Check for organizations that accept used items. It is recommended that before taking recyclables in that you call to determine what materials are accepted, their hours of operation and how they should be prepared.

Identifying Recyclable Plastics

For information on how to identify the different types of recyclable plastics, the symbols shown below can be found on the bottom of the item. This code system allows you to identify the primary type of plastic used in the bottle or container:

Type of Plastic	Symbol
Polyethylene Terephalate Ethylene (PETE) - PETE goes into soft drink, juice, water, detergent, and cleaner bottles. Also used for cooking and peanut butter jars.
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) - High Density Polyethylene goes into milk and water jugs, bleach bottles, detergent, and shampoo. Plastic bags and grocery sacks, motor oil bottles, household cleaners, and butter tubs.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) - PVC goes into window cleaner, cooking oils, and detergent bottles. Also used for peanut butter jars and water jugs.
Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) - LDPE goes into plastic bags and grocery sacks, dry cleaning bags, and flexible film packaging. Also some bottles.
Polypropylene (PP) - PP goes into caps, disks, syrup bottles, yogurt tubs, straws, and film packaging.
Polystyrene (PS) - PS goes into meat trays, egg cartons, plates, cutlery, carry-out containers, and clear trays.
Other - Includes resins not mentioned above or combinations of plastics.