What's Recyclable and Where?

What is Recyclable?

Our mixed recycling program only accepts specific items that are able to be sorted efficiently and that are possible to be recycled in the midwest.  For items like scrap metal, motor oil, appliances, computers, plastic grocery bags, and many other items there are other places around town that will accept these to recycle.  Please see the Searchable Recycling Database on our homepage to view them all, or search by specific item.

All materials that go in to one of our drop-off bins or in to your curbside recycling bin should be empty, clean, and un-bagged!  Bagged materials will NOT get recycled!  The workers at the sorting facility send bagged materials to the landfill.  Very small items such as shredded paper or loose bottle caps should also not go in the mixed recycling bin.  Items smaller than a post-it note cannot make it though the sorting process and will fall through the gaps in the machinery.  Small items should go in the trash. 

Metal - Aluminum Drink Cans & Steel Food Cans. Rinsed clean.  Labels and lids are ok! No paint or varnish cans- these are contaminated and should go in the trash.

Glass - Clear, Brown and Green Glass Food and Drink Bottles and Jars.  All other glass must go out with the trash as it contaminates the recycling process.  Do NOT recycle pyrex, leaded crystal, drinking glasses, window glass, mirrors, ceramics, or candle holders. Rinse clean, but you do not need to remove the labels.

Plastic - Plastic Bottles, Jugs, and Jars.  Empty and rinsed out.  Anything that is not a bottle or jug cannot be recycled in mixed recycling.  Empty motor oil and antifreeze containers should go out with the regular trash, not recycled.  Screw on caps are ok to leave on, but pop on caps should go in the trash.  Normal labels are ok, but shrink-wrap labels that cover the entire bottle should be removed.  All bottles, jugs, and jars should be empty and clean.

Paper and Cardboard - Newspapers, Magazines, Catalogs, Mail and Junk Mail, School Papers, Office Paper, Envelopes, Phone Books, Cardboard (break down boxes to save space) Cereal Boxes, Milk and Juice Cartons, Soft Cover Books.  No wax paper, frozen food boxes, paper plates or cups; these are not recyclable.

The cities of Lafayette (807-1411) and West Lafayette (775-5242) also have curbside recycling programs that accept these same materials.