This article was written by Randy Klauk, Hennepin County Master Recycler/Composter
The last of our recycling articles is about those items that are mostly garbage. A few of these can be recycled at special places. Please do so if you can.
- Bags from chips, crackers or cereal
- Batteries (take to the Hennepin County Drop site)
- Black Plastic (doesn’t matter the number)
- Bubble wrap
- Candles
- Ceramics
- Cleaning materials
- Clothes hangers (wire, wood or plastic)
- Disposable diapers
- Floss
- Foam egg cartons
- Furnace filters
- Garden hoses and sprinklers
- Hardback books
- Kitchen glassware
- Light bulbs (you can take CFL, the curly kind, to the Hennepin County Drop site)
- Makeup (take it to either Nordstrom location, Mall of America or Ridgedale)
- Medical waste
- Mirrors
- Nail clippers
- Packing peanuts (many shipping {UPS & Fed Ex} services will accept them if they’re clean)
- Photographs
- Plastic grocery bags (take back to the store, there’s usually a bin inside the main door)
- Plastic toys or sporting goods equipment
- Plastic wrap
- Polystyrene or Styrofoam
- Pots and pans
- Receipts (most are printed on thermal paper, which usually contains BPA)
- Scissors
- Shredded paper
- Spray cans (make sure they’re empty)
- Stickers
- Straws
- To-go coffee cups
- Tooth brushes
- Toothpaste tubes
- Videotapes
- Waxed paper
- Window glass
- Wood
Even if something is recyclable, the rate of recycling contamination has more than doubled in the last decade. If there is a small amount of contamination, it can quickly turn an entire batch of recyclable materials into non-recyclable trash. That’s why it’s recommended to throw things in the trash when you aren’t sure if you can recycle it.
Avoid buying single-use items that are hard to recycle and instead focus on long-lasting, plastic-free, recyclable products made sustainably. Unfortunately, what is or isn’t recyclable isn’t always clear, and depends on our local recycling services which can change over time. You should have received a small pamphlet from the City recently.