Recycling guide

Many everyday items can be recycled. The best way to support recycling is to only recycle the items accepted in your program and keep stuff that can’t be recycled out. 

Always put items loose in your recycling cart – do not bag your recyclables.

Recycling guides are available in multiple languages. Download or order a free printed recycling guide

Accepted items

Plastic

Preparation tips: Empty, rinse, and replace cap. Do not crush.

A note on plastic types: Did you know there are seven types of plastics? This is what the number 1 - 7 printed on a plastic item tells you. Although the triangle looks like a recycling symbol, it only tells you what type of plastic an item is, not if or how you can recycle it. Plastic bottles, jugs, and containers with a number 1, 2, and 5 are generally accepted in your recycling at home because there are good markets for recycling these items. 

Accepted

#1, 2, and 5 containers, bottles, and jugs such as:

• Clear berry and produce containers
• Clear plastic egg cartons
• Dishwashing and laundry detergent bottles and jugs
• Ketchup and salad dressing bottles
• Margarine, cottage cheese, cream cheese and other tubs and lids
• Milk and juice jugs
• Soda, juice, and water bottles
• Yogurt, pudding, and fruit cups

Not accepted

• #3, #4, #6, #7 plastic
• Black containers and bottles
• Bulky rigid plastics (such as kiddie pools, laundry baskets, and window blinds)
• Chip bags, granola bar and candy wrappers
• Clear, rigid packaging from toys, electronics, and other products
• Foam blocks
• Foam egg cartons
• Garden hoses
• Keurig or Nestle cups
• Loose plastic bottle caps
• Meal prep packaging
• Mesh plastic bags
• Microwaveable food trays
• Motor oil bottles and other containers that held hazardous products (empty bottles should go in the garbage; bottles with any product remaining are accepted at drop-off facilities)
• Plastic bags, film, and wrap (accepted at drop-off facilities)
• Plastic gloves
• Plastic straws
• Pouches (like for snack foods, purees, or granola)
• Pumps and sprayer tops from bottles
• Random small plastic items such as contact lens cases and floss containers
• Sauce or condiment cups
• Small prescription pill bottles
• Styrofoam™ and foam cartons
• Toys
• Tyvek envelopes
• Utensils (forks, knives, spoons)

Paper

Preparation tips: Empty and flatten boxes. Must be dry.

Accepted

• Cardboard
• Cardboard cans (such as oatmeal containers)
• Cardboard tubes from toilet paper, tissue, and paper towels (only the inner cardboard tube is recyclable, not the paper on the roll)
• Cereal and cracker boxes
• Clean pizza delivery boxes (check with your city or hauler for specific rules)
• Freezer boxes (most boxes today are pure boxboard without a plastic lining or plastic fibers, making them recyclable - check with your city or hauler for specific rules)
• Magazines, catalogs, newspapers, and inserts
• Mail and envelopes (envelopes with plastic windows are accepted; no shipping envelopes padded with bubble wrap)
• Paperback books and phone books
• Paper grocery bags, shipping paper, and other unlined Kraft paper (flatten before recycling)
• Refrigerator boxes
• School and office papers
• Toothpaste, medication, and other toiletry boxes

Not accepted

• Cardboard cans with metal lids
• Greeting cards that are shiny, or contain aluminum foil or plastic
• Hardcover books
• Lined Kraft bags such as those used to hold coffee or food
• Napkins or paper towels
• Paper berry cartons
• Paper cups, plates, and bowls
• Paper egg cartons
• Paper soiled with food, oil, or grease
• Shipping envelopes padded with bubble-wrap
• Shredded paper (some businesses and cities offer shredding services or special recycling options; check with your city or search for shredding services)
• Tissue paper
• Waxed cardboard
• Wrapping paper

Glass

Preparation tips: Empty and rinse.

A note on caps: Replace metals caps that can be screwed on. Any caps that are plastic or made of a mix of materials should go in the trash. Smaller metal caps (i.e., bottle caps) that cannot be replaced can be collected in a steel can (like a soup can) that is squeezed shut before it's put in the recycling. Otherwise metal bottle caps can be thrown in the trash.

Accepted

• Food and beverage bottles and jars
• Mason jars

Not accepted

• Ceramics
• Drinking glasses
• Glass bakeware
• Glass dishes
• Light bulbs (incandescent and halogen go in the garbage, LED and fluorescent bulbs accepted at drop-off facilities)
• Mirrors
• Vases
• Window glass

Cartons

Preparation tips: Empty and rinse. Do not flatten. Remove and throw away caps and straws. 

Accepted 

• Juice boxes 
• Milk and juice cartons, including half gallon, quart, and individual sizes
• Refrigerated and shelf-stable cartons such as soup, broth and wine cartons 

Not accepted

• Ice cream cartons 
• Plastic-lined paper takeout cartons 

Metal

Preparation tips: Empty, rinse, and remove lid. Do not crush metal cans and containers. Place loose metal lids inside can and pinch opening of can closed, if possible, to keep lids inside. For aluminum foil, remove all food and roll into a ball at least as large as a softball.

Accepted 

• Decorative popcorn and cookie tins
• Food and beverage cans 
• Aluminum foil (must be clean and balled) 
• Aluminum trays, tins, or pie tins (must be clean) 

Not accepted

• Aerosols containing either hazardous or non-hazardous materials (such as shaving cream, hairspray, and paint) (put empty cans in the garbage, cans with product remaining accepted at drop-off facilities)
• Batteries (accepted at drop-off facilities)
• Containers that held hazardous products such as paint thinner (containers with product remaining accepted at drop-off facilities)
• Holiday and string lights (accepted at drop-off facilities)
• Loose metal caps 
• Paint cans (dry out and put in garbage, cans with paint remaining accepted at drop-off facilities)
• Pressurized cylinders like propane and helium tanks (check with retailers for tanks larger than one-pound, one-pound propane cylinders accepted at drop-off facilities)
• Scrap metal, such as pots and pans, hangers, shelves, nails, auto parts, pipes, and poles (accepted at scrap metal recyclers)
• Wire (accepted at scrap metal recyclers)

Common recycling mistakes

Although you might want to recycle everything, the best thing you can do to support recycling is to only recycle the items accepted in your program and keep stuff that can’t be recycled out. That way recycling facilities and manufacturers get items they can make into new products.

The following items cause some of the biggest problems in the recycling process and are important to keep out of your recycling cart.

Plastic bags and bags of recycling

Plastic bags and wrap get tangled in the equipment at recycling sorting facilities, and workers spend hours each day removing them.

Clean plastic bags and film can be recycled if brought to a drop-off location. Options include Hennepin County drop-off facilities in Bloomington and Brooklyn Park and retailers such as grocery and department stores. Find retail drop-off locations.

Large plastic items

Large plastic items like laundry baskets, storage bins, lawn furniture, plastic toys, and other large plastic items can't be recycled. There are not good markets for recycling these items, and they are difficult to sort at recycling facilities.

Purchase high-quality items, use them for as long as possible, and donate items that are in good shape when you're ready to get rid of them.

Random metal items

Random metal items such as pots and pans, pipes, hangers, and tools can damage equipment and harm workers at recycling facilities. All metal can be recycled, just not in your recycling cart at home. Take random metal items to a scrap metal recycler. Find options for scrap metal.

Propane tanks

Cylinders and tanks contain a compressed gas that makes them explosive and potential fire hazards. It is illegal to put propane tanks, helium tanks, and other pressurized cylinders in your household recycling or trash. Properly dispose of all pressurized cylinders. Find options for tanks and cylinders.

Single-use plastic utensils and straws

Plastic utensils and straws are too small and difficult to sort at recycling facilities, and there aren’t good recycling markets for them. Avoid them by choosing reusable options or refusing them when you can.

Paper plates, cups, and takeout containers

Paper cups, plates, and takeout containers can’t be recycled because they are often lined with plastic or contaminated with food. Avoid them by choosing reusable cups, mugs, and plates.

Electronics and batteries

Electronics and batteries can’t be sorted properly at recycling facilities, and certain batteries can cause fires. Recycle batteries and electronics at drop-offs. Find options for batteries and electronics.

Cords and string lights

Keep “tanglers” like cords, hoses and string lights out of your recycling bin. As the name suggests, these items get tangled in the equipment at recycling facilities. Recycle cords and string lights at Hennepin County drop-off facilities. Find options for string and holiday lights.

Needles and sharps

Needles and sharps should be managed and disposed of safely to prevent injury and disease transmission from needle-sticks. They should never be placed in your recycling cart. Find options for needles and sharps.

More recycling information

Explore more recycling options by visiting the Green Disposal Guide.