• Empty and rinse all bottles and containers
• Do not place recyclables in plastic bags.  Place loose in the cart
• Flatten all cardboard boxes so they are no bigger than 2'x2'

• Plastic bottles, containers, jars, jugs and lids
• Aluminum, steel, steel, tin bottles and cans
• Newspapers, magazines, books, cardboard, milk cartons, pizza boxes
• Glass food and beverage bottles and jars

• Plastic bags, wrap, film
• Motor oil
• Shredded paper
• Styrofoam
• Tissue paper
• Ceramics or dishes
• Empty paint cans
• Electronics
• Batteries
• Cords, hoses, light strings, ropes, wires
• Needles/sharps
• Propane cylinders
• Textiles
• Light bulbs

Plastics are made from chemical resins, and various resins have different physical properties. Generally speaking, different resins cannot be mixed together to make new products. To help keep resins separate, the plastics industry developed a standardized numerical resin code system. These codes, numbered 1 through 7 and usually imprinted with a triangular arrangement of arrows on the bottom of plastic containers, help consumers identify the plastic. However, even if a plastic item has the triangular “chasing arrows” symbol, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s recyclable everywhere.

All recyclers in Wisconsin accept plastic with resin codes #1 and #2. These plastics comprise about 97% of all plastic bottles, according to the Association of Plastics Recyclers. Since there are strong and stable markets for these plastics, they are banned from landfill disposal in Wisconsin.

Plastics with resin codes #3 - #7 are generally harder to recycle into new products. Some municipalities may direct residents to keep some or all of these out of the recycling bin or cart. Some of these plastics, such as bags marked with resin codes #2 or #4, may have other recycling options.

For more information on what the resin codes tell us click here.