What You Can Put In Your Blue Bin

I write about recycling all the time. But it occurred to me that I never put out a complete list of all the things that can be recycled and put into your blue bins. So here it is - fresh from the Bureau of Sanitation website. A few may surprise you; I even learned a few things. I had no idea that Styrofoam could be recycled.

Paper Items:

All clean dry paper, computer, ledger, wrapping, arts and craft paper, junk mail, flyers, telephone books, note cards, newspaper, blueprints, magazines, file folders, paper bags, Post-it notes, catalogs, envelopes including those with windows
      
All cardboard boxes and chipboard:

Cereal, tissue, dry food, frozen food, shoe, and detergent boxes; paper towel and toilet rolls; and corrugated boxes broken down and flattened

Metals:

Aluminum, tin, metal, and bi-metal cans such as soda, juice, soup, vegetables, and pet food
cans, pie tins, clean aluminum foils, aerosol cans with plastic caps removed, and wire hangers

Glass:

Glass bottles and jars including, soda, wine, beer, spaghetti sauce, pickle jars, even broken bottles.

Plastics

All clean plastics 1-7 such as empty plastic containers, soda, juice, detergent, bleach, shampoo, lotion, mouthwash, dishwashing liquid bottles, milk jugs, tubs for margarine and yogurt, plastic planters, food and blister packaging, rigid clamshell packaging.

Plastic and film bags like, grocery bags and dry cleaner bags, and all clean film plastic.

All Clean Polystyrene Styrofoam, cups, containers, and packaging such as Styrofoam egg cartons, block packaging, and clamshell packaging

Miscellaneous plastics:

Plastic coat hangers, non-electric plastic toys, plastic swimming pools, & plastic laundry baskets

Later in the week I'll give you a list of the things the city does not want in those bins.