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Why Your Recycling Cart Might Be Left Behind — and How to Prevent It

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.