Have you ever rolled your recycling cart to the curb, only to find it still full at the end of the day? It’s frustrating — but it usually happens for one important reason: contamination.
When trash or prohibited items end up in your recycling cart, the entire load will be rejected. Recycling facilities are designed to handle specific materials like clean; cardboard, paper, plastic bottles, and metal cans. Anything outside of that causes major problems.
What Happens When Recycling Is Contaminated
- Good recyclables get ruined: A single bag of garbage or greasy food container can contaminate a whole truckload, sending the whole truck load to the landfill.
- Equipment gets damaged: Items like plastic bags, textiles, cords, or hazardous materials can jam and break sorting machines.
- Workers face safety risks: Sharp objects, batteries, or chemicals can endanger facility staff.
A cart that contains trash or non-recyclable materials is considered contaminated and will be left at the curb.
Recycling Best Practices
Follow these simple steps to make sure your recycling is collected and processed properly:
- Do not bag recyclables. Place items loose in your cart — plastic bags and bagged recyclables can jam machinery and it all gets sent to the landfill.
- Rinse all containers. Remove food and liquid residue before recycling.
- Skip greasy pizza boxes. Oil and food residue make them non-recyclable.
- Flatten cardboard boxes to save space and improve sorting efficiency.
- Review all of the eligible recyclable items here on the HCMUD 102’s trash page
By recycling correctly, you help ensure that clean, usable materials get a second life — and your cart won’t be left behind on collection day.