What Are the Do's and Don'ts for Recycling Each Kind of Material?

Please follow these guidelines carefully to help make recycling a success.

Commingled Containers
(Bottles/Cans/Jars)

"Commingled Containers" include all of the following food and beverage containers and are accepted mixed together at the various Drop-off Centers throughout the county, except for Superior and Erie.

Glass bottles and jars of all colors

Please avoid breaking glass. Labels OK. Please rinse. Remove and recycle metal lids/caps. No vases, dishes, mirrors, light bulbs, window glass, or drinking glasses.

Aluminum cans and clean aluminum foil

Do not crush or flatten cans.
Please rinse. Ball all aluminum foil together into one large ball 2" or larger, or flatten pieces. No small, balled-up foil please.

Steel (tin) cans including empty aerosol cans (throw away plastic lids/caps)

Please rinse
Labels OK
Metal jar lids, metal bottle caps OK
Pinch the open end of cans closed
NO plastic lids/caps

Plastic bottles and jugs with a #1, #2 or #5 on the bottom
(Includes milk jugs, soda bottles, most shampoo bottles, etc.)

Flatten gallon jugs and bottles 1 liter and larger. Remove and throw away lids. Please rinse. NO plastic bags, cups, plastic vitamin or prescription bottles. NO motor oil bottles.

Plastic screw-top jars with a #1 on the bottom

NO lids. Please rinse.

Paper milk cartons & drink boxes.

Please flatten. Remove and throw away straws and plastic caps. No need to remove plastic spouts. NO drink "pouches."
Please empty and rinse all containers
Labels are OK
NOTE: Please do NOT include any plastics other than those listed. Including non-recyclable plastics jeopardizes the entire plastic recycling program!

Plastic Tubs and Cups With a #2 or #5 on the Bottom

Plastic tubs with a #2 or #5 are accepted with "commingled containers" in the Longmont curbside program and at the Boulder and Longmont drop-off centers ONLY. Due to very shaky markets for this material, tubs will not be added to other programs at this time.
(Includes margarine, yogurt, and other dairy tubs and some deli tubs.) Please rinse. NO lids. NO bags, other types of cups, clamshell "to go" containers or other types of plastics.

Large Paperboard
Larger single-layer boxes, such as:

• Cereal boxes (throw away inside bag)
• Gift/shirt boxes
• Shoe boxes
• Six-pack and 12-pack cartons/boxes

Smaller Paperboard Items
Smaller paperboard and low-grade paper such as:

• Cracker boxes (throw away inside bag)
• Hanging file folders
• Paper egg cartons
• Soap boxes and facial tissue boxes
• Paper shopping bags (brown bags go with corrugated cardboard)
• Paper tubes (e.g., paper towel tubes, toilet paper tubes, etc.)
• Shredded paper

Office paper/junk mail:

• Office Paper and Opened Mail
• Adding machine tape
• Blueprints
• Brochures
• Computer printouts
• Copy & typing paper
• FAX paper
• File folders (manila or pastel-colored only)
• Greeting cards
• Index cards
• Letterhead
• Loose leaf paper
• Pamphlets
• Pastel colored legal pad paper
• Slick/glossy ads & brochures
• Stationery & letters
• White ream wrappers
• White & pastel-colored paper
• White & pastel-colored paper envelopes (windowed envelopes OK)

DON'T WORRY! NO NEED TO REMOVE THESE:

• Paper clips
• Stamps and address labels on envelopes
• Staples
• Metal fasteners
• Rubber bands
• Post-It sticky notes
• Tape
• Wire or plastic spiral bindings
• Plastic tabs
• Windows in envelopes

Newspapers

And newspaper inserts
No other papers, boxes, bags or string

Magazines & Catalogs

No phone books

Corrugated Cardboard & Brown Paper Bags

Please flatten. Put cereal boxes and other "single-layer" paperboard in the "Paperboard" category (see above).

Phone Books

Please keep separate from office paper and magazine/catalog categories

Scrap Metal

No air conditioners, refrigerators or freezers

Car Batteries

Household batteries are accepted at the Boulder County Household Hazardous Waste facility. Call 303-441-4800 for more information. They are not recyclable at the drop-off centers.

NO The Following items are NOT recyclable in any category and should be thrown away:

• "Neon" fluorescent or dark-colored papers
• Kraft (orange/brownish) envelopesSheets of address labels
• Stickers

• Kraft (orange/brownish) envelopes
• "Neon" fluorescent & dark-colored paper
• Wrapping and tissue paper
• Paper towels, paper plates/cups
• Facial tissues, napkins
• Waxed paper & waxed cardboard
• Carbon paper
• Frozen food container boxes
• Photographs
• Pet food/charcoal/fertilizer bags
• Tyvek envelopes