The Golden Rule: Clean, Dry, Empty
Most recycling problems come down to three issues: contamination from food residue, moisture damage to paper, and materials that haven't been fully emptied. The solution is easy to remember: every item should be clean, dry, and empty before you drop it off.
You don't need to run items through the dishwasher. A quick rinse with tap water to remove obvious food residue is sufficient. Shake out remaining liquid and let containers air-dry before putting them in your recycling bin.
Paper and Cardboard
Paper is one of the most valuable recyclables but also one of the most easily contaminated. Keep paper dry at all times — wet paper loses its fiber strength and can't be processed into new paper products effectively.
Flatten cardboard boxes completely — they take up enormous space in full form. Remove packing tape, polystyrene inserts, and packing materials before recycling the cardboard. Grease-stained boxes (like pizza boxes) should go in composting or trash; the unsoiled top flap can often still be recycled separately.
Glass
Rinse glass jars and bottles to remove food residue. Lids are often a different material — metal lids can usually go in the metal recycling bin. Remove corks from wine bottles.
Note that drinking glasses, Pyrex, mirrors, window glass, and light bulbs are NOT recyclable with container glass — they have different melting points and contaminate glass batches. These require separate disposal.
Metals
Aluminum cans: rinse and crush (optional — check if your facility prefers crushed or not). Steel cans: rinse and remove lids. Foil and foil trays: rinse and crush into a ball at least 2 inches across (small pieces fall through sorters).
Remove paper labels if they peel off easily, but don't stress about labels that stick — they burn off during melting.
Electronics and Specialty Items
Electronics require no preparation beyond deleting personal data. Back up and factory-reset phones and computers before recycling. Remove batteries from devices if possible — batteries often go to a separate recycling stream.
For hazardous items like paint, oil, and chemicals, keep them in their original containers with labels intact. This helps handlers identify the material and process it safely.