Experts Say You Should Never Recycle These 7 Things
Most of us toss items into the recycling bin with good intentions, hoping they’ll be saved from the landfill and turned into something new. But recycling systems are a lot pickier than we think. Some items actually cause more harm than good once they enter the stream, slowing down machines or contaminating other recyclable materials. Knowing what not to recycle makes you a better recycler overall, and helps more things get recycled in the long run.
Plastic Bags and Wraps
Even though they’re plastic, grocery bags and soft wraps can jam recycling machines so badly that entire facilities have to shut down equipment to clear them. They twist and tangle in the gears like long, stretchy ropes. Instead of tossing them in your curbside bin, drop them off at designated store collection bins. These programs recycle plastic bags properly, giving the plastic a second life without wrecking any important machinery.
Greasy Pizza Boxes
Cardboard is usually a recycling staple, but once it’s soaked with grease and melted cheese, it’s no longer useful. Oil weakens the paper fibers and contaminates any other clean cardboard that is in the same batch. If the top lid of the pizza box is clean, you can tear that off and recycle it. But the rest has to go in the trash or compost. It’s disappointing, but it’s better than ruining a whole load of otherwise recyclable material.
Batteries Of Any Kind
Batteries contain chemicals and metals that can leak, spark, or even cause fires inside recycling plants. They simply aren’t built to be sorted with cans and bottles. Instead, bring batteries to local drop-off centers or hardware stores that accept them. These places handle them safely and make sure the valuable materials inside get reused. If you want your old batteries to get another life, your curbside bin is definitely not the place for them.
Clothing and Fabric Scraps
Old shirts, socks, and scraps get tangled in sorting machines, causing the same headaches as plastic bags. While you might feel tempted to recycle fabric the same way you do paper, it doesn’t break down in the same way. Donate wearable clothes to thrift stores or take worn-out items to textile recycling programs instead. Those programs turn old clothes into insulation or industrial rags instead of letting them pile up as landfill waste.
Propane Tanks
This one surprises a lot of people. Propane tanks look like metal, and metal is recyclable, so why not toss them in the bin? The problem is the pressure. Even “empty” tanks can hold residual gas, which makes them dangerous in compacting and sorting machines. Most home improvement stores have safe return programs for your old propane tanks instead. It’s a little extra effort but it keeps everyone safer.
Disposable Coffee Cups
They seem like plain paper and cardboard, but most disposable cups are lined with a thin plastic coating that prevents leaks. That lining makes them nearly impossible to recycle in standard paper facilities. The lids and cardboard sleeves are usually recyclable, though, so don’t start throwing those out. As for the cups, they belong in the trash unless your city recycling rules specifically says otherwise. It’s a bit complicated, but it makes sense if you think about it.
Broken Glass
Recycling plants can process glass bottles and jars, but broken glass from picture frames, drinking glasses, or window panes is a different story. Broken glass melts at a different temperature and can contaminate the whole batch of glass recycling. Plus, loose shards of glass are dangerous for workers. Wrap up and dispose of broken glass in the trash instead. Keeping it out of the recycling stream actually protects the good glass recycling.
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Recycling isn’t just about tossing things into the right bin. It’s about understanding what the system can actually handle and what will accidentally cause problems. When you keep the items on this list out of the recycling stream, you help protect workers, prevent contamination, and keep recycling facilities running more efficiently. It’s a small shift in habit that leads to a bigger impact, and it keeps your good intentions working the way you meant them to.
Bliss Donahue-Power
