Recycle More (all items possible)

Many people have been recycling for decades.  They rinse their glass jars, take labels off soup cans and peal the plastic window from the pasta box with great dedication.  This is wonderful, but often these folks and many others are unaware of the growing list of recylables and the increase ease of recycling.

For instance, since conserving water is a concern, the recycling industry has adapted to allow many items to be recycled without requiring any washing or rinsing.  Here is a list of the most common items taken in curbside programs across the County and in many business collections (rules can vary slightly by hauler based on market demand): 

PAPER/FIBER:

Newspaper (includes glossy ads, acceptable wet or dry) 

Newspaper
 Office Paper (includes white, color, computer printer, copier paper, greenbar, plotter paper)

Office Paper
Construction Paper (heavily colored paper)

Construction Paper
 Envelopes (with or without plastic windows, plain, stamped, labeled, colored, manila, standard or oversized)

Enevelopes
Interoffice Envelopes (including closure string and metal closure)

Interoffice Envelope
Magazines

Magazine

Catalogs

Catalog

Telephone Books

Telephone Books

Paper Ream Covers (usually heavily coated to seal out moisture)

Paper Ream Cover

Gift Wrapping Paper (except metalic)

gift wrapping paper2

Chipboard / Paperboard (with or without plastic windows)

generic cereal box

Cardboard Boxes (try to flatten)

Carboard Boxes 2

Soft Cover Books (but try to donate them before recycling) 

Soft Cover Books

Paper Cups

Paper Cups

Paper Lunch Bags (clean, empty)

Paper Lunch Bag

Frozen Food Boxes

Frozen Food Boxes

Pizza Boxes (No melted cheese, empty)

pizza box
 

CONTAINERS, etc.

Glass Bottles and Jars(with or without labels, rinsed or with minor food residue)(NO ceramics, vases, window glass,etc.) 

glass groups

 
 

 

 

Steel/ Tin Cans (Soup, Coffee, Cat Food- with or without labels, rinsed or with minor food residue)

Steel Can

Empty Aerosol Cans

Aerosol Can

Aluminum Cans (rinsed or not, with or without the pop tab)

Aluminum Cans

Aluminum Foil (clean or with food residue)

Aluminum Foil

Aluminum Temporary Bakeware (clean or with food residue)

Aluminum Bakeware

Plastic Bottles and Containers #1 (with lids, rinsed or with minor residue) This includes soda bottles, water bottles, shampoo bottles, peanut butter jars.

#1 plastic grouping

 

 

 

 

Plastic Bottles, Tubs and Containers #2 (with lids, rinsed or with minor residue) This includes laundry bottles, conditioner bottles, margarine tubs, milk jugs

plastic2, improved

 

 

 

Plastic Bottles, Tubs and Containers #3, #4, #5, #7 (with lids, rinsed or with minor residue) This includes squeezable bottles,  yogurt containers,  deli containers.

Plastic grouping 3,4,5,7

 

 

 

Keep the Caps On campaign launched in 2012 by the Plastic Industry encourages all plastic bottles to be recycled with the cap on as technology has improved to allow the seperation and recycling of both items when they are processed together. Seperating the caps often results in their disposal as they fall through processing equipment and never make it back to a manufacturer. 

plastic caps image

 

 

 

Drink Boxes/ Beverage Cartons (empty but no need to rinse)

Drink Boxes
 

ITEMS COLLECTED AT SOME SCHOOLS:

Candy Wrappers from Skittles, M&Ms

Candy Wrapper

Ink Jet Cartridges

Ink Jet Cartridges
 

ITEMS COLLECTED AT SOME GROCERY & DEPARTMENT STORES:

Plastic Bags / Plastic Film (includes plastic grocery bags and more - click here for details)

Plastic Bag
 

ITEMS TAKEN AT FRONT DOOR OR DROP-OFF:

Textiles / Shoes / Clothing

Shoes

Electronics

Laptop

Toys

Toys

Books

Books

CFL bulbs

CFL bulbs

Rechargeable Batteries

Rechargeable Batteries2

Scrap Metal, Unwanted Keys

 

Keys

Lead-Acid Batteries

lead acid battery

Eye Glasses (Lions Clubs, many eye glass retailers)
Eyeglasses

ITEMS RECYCLED BUT EXPECT TO PAY A FEE:

Tires

Tires

Appliances (if not included in municipal collection contract)

Refrigerator

Latex Paint

Latex Paint

Paper Shredding (find a free event or pay at Office Service Retailers)
Paper Retriever allows residents to place paper bags of shredded paper in their bins. Please find a bin
http://paperretriever.com/binlocator/index.html


When in doubt, check us out! Call or Email.  This industry keeps growing and improving with more items becoming easier to recycle every year. Together we can save resources, reduce pollution and make existing landfills last longer.
  

 

 
Will County Land Use Department
Will County - Land Use Department - Resource Recovery & Energy
58 E. Clinton Street, Joliet, IL 60432

© 2010 Will County EEC. All Rights Reserved|Web site design and development by Americaneagle.com
Site Map|Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy|Contact Us