What Kind of Stuff Do Recycling Centers Recycle?

The amount and nature of products that recycling centers will accept varies widely from center to center. Many local governments have launched ambitious initiatives to increase the amount of waste recycled in their jurisdictions, while others still have a fairly limited recycling capacity. You should contact your local recycling center to find out exactly what materials it will take, but most centers will accept a few basic categories.

Plastic

• Plastic is divided by the type of resin used to make it, designated by a number between one and seven stamped on the piece. Some recycling centers will take all seven varieties of plastic, while others will ask that you only separate certain kinds. In general, however, you should assume that any kind of plastic bottle or container can be recycled.

Paper

• Paper is one of the easiest materials to recycle. It is simply run through a pulp mill again and pressed into recycled paper. As a result, paper also represents the largest share of recycled wastes in most local jurisdictions. All kinds of paper stock, from notebook paper and stationery to mail and decorative paper products can be recycled and should be separated for delivery to a recycling center.

Glass

• Glass is one of the few products that can be recycled over and over again without loosing quality or usability. Most recycling centers divide glass based on color -- usually green, blue, clear and brown -- so that used bottles and containers can be melted down and used again to make glass of the same color. Although some centers, for safety reasons, limit the amounts of broken glass products they will take, others accept broken glass items and shards.

Metal

• The average recycling center will accept common metal items such as aluminum and steel cans. Metal, however, is highly recyclable and more specialized centers will take additional metal items such as copper wire, metal pipes, metal construction materials and even clothes hangers. You should separate metal cans for curbside pickup and contact your recycling center to find a place to recycle other metal items. Many metal recyclers even offer payment for significant amounts of useful metals.

Odds and Ends

• Many highly developed recycling programs have specialized programs for other waste categories, including electronics, auto parts, construction materials, household items and hazardous wastes. Many of these items have a high environmental impact but, because they are made of different materials, are not easy to include in a standard recycling category. You should contact your local recycling center to find information on where and how to recycle these specialized items. Many manufacturers, such as computer makers, also have their own recycling programs where they will take back -- or even buy back -- used items.