How to Recycle at Home

Oh recycling. We all want to do it, but goodness is it confusing. What’s recyclable? What’s not? Does it have to be cleaned? Why is everything different in each city? Does recycling really even matter? It’s complicated and it certainly does vary, but there are a few universal basics to recycling, so here is a great place to figure out how to recycle (at least when you’re at home)…

In the world of sustainable living, we all know recycle, reduce, reuse. Or really, if we’re being picky (and we should be), it’s reduce, reuse, and recycle. But we have to be recycling properly. And believe it or not, if you’re recycling incorrectly, you could actually be hurting the system, causing problems within the equipment and using more natural resources. Lame!

Is it even worth it to figure out all these things (even just the recycling basics)? It really is.

Recycling cuts back on the materials going to the landfills. Additionally recycled materials can be made into new items (e.g. clothing, phone cases, rugs, etc.).

So let’s get some everyday basics covered. Even if you do nothing more than recycle these few things properly, you’ll be helping so much. And you can be confident that you’re a part of the solution! And if you want one thing without reading this whole post: plastic bags should not go around your recycling. Those bags aren’t recyclable most places. So use a paper bag OR just don’t use a bag at all!!

How to Recycle at Home

It’s commonly known that paper/cardboard, plastics, glass, and aluminum cans are all recyclable – so let’s just cover those and stick to these recycling basics for today.

How to Start Recycling at Home

Recycling (like many things in life) is multifaceted and can easily feel overwhelming. The first step to start recycling at home is realizing where you are at the moment and how you can easily step it up. For example, if you only recycle soda cans, make sure you’re doing it right (see below) and try to find one other thing you can easily recycle in the same way (like plastic bottles).

Or if you acknowledge that you have a lot of plastic packaging waste, figure out how you can easily change your shopping habits for even just a little less waste. Going all in will lead to frustration, so do it one step at a time!

Do Recyclables have to be empty?

Yes. Resoundingly YES! All recycled items, no matter the material, can’t have food or product in them. Some residue is fine but less to none is best!

Do You Have to Rinse Out Everything?

Pretty much, yes. Many things just need a quick rinse (and dry) to get the last bits of food/product out! If you’re out and about, try to get as much of the drink out of the bottle as possible – a quick rinse would be ideal, however.

How Can I Clean Recyclables without Using so much Water?

I usually add just a tablespoon or two of water to a container, replace the lid, shake a few times, and empty. Then let it dry. Oftentimes not much water is used.

Another technique a lot of people use is to use your leftover dishwater (the most eco-friendly option) or add it to your dishwasher.

If you are hand washing items, add items to a bowl of the soapy water. In your dishwasher, add items to your top shelf. For plastic bags, you can flip them inside out to ensure they’re washed easily.

Can You recycle all GLASS containers?

All food and drink glass containers can be recycled! Just rinse, dry, and recycle (if you can’t find a fun way to reuse the container)!

Broken glass and glassware, however, cannot be recycled.

Are Drinking Cans and Pantry Food Cans Recyclable?

Yep. All soda cans, juice cans, and those lovely wine cans can be recycled – rinse and dry! Canned food containers are also made of aluminum and can be recycled (or reused) as well. Rinse and Dry!

What PLASTICS can I recycle?

When it comes to plastics, one of the most confusing things is what can and can’t be put into the recycling bin. Not surprisingly recycled rules vary by locale, but there are a few universal things.

The easiest way to know if a plastic container is recyclable is to look for the recycling symbol (♻️ ) on the package. For most bottles, it’s on the bottom. There should be a number inside the recycle symbol (number indicate the material used to make the product). Most locales recycle numbers 1, 2, and 3 (rinsed and dry). Beyond that, you have to do some research.

If you aren’t sure about the number, then best to place it in the trash. If you don’t see a number (even if you see the triangle), put it in the trash.

If your plastic item says “store drop off,” then you have an option! Here’s everything to learn the basics of plastic bag recycling – store drop off!

Also, trash bags are NOT recyclable. Here is Sacramento, we aren’t even supposed to put our recycling in a bag. You’ll need to check your local rules, but it’s safe to assume that no bag for recycling is best and compostable bags for trash are best!

Can all paper and cardboard be recycled?

If what you’re recycling is just paper or cardboard (and it has no food or food residue on it), then it can be recycled. So, newspapers and cereal boxes can be recycled, pizza boxes with grease stains cannot. Regarding the latter, I oftentimes remove the part of the cardboard that’s unclean and then recycle the rest.

Can you recycle milk cartons?

The plastic jugs? Yes. Give them a quick rinse, replace the lid, and recycle.

The “cardboard” ones? No. The latter has a plastic lining, which means it’s trash.

Are there any recycling apps to help?

Fortunately, the answer is yes to this one too. I’ve found two apps that work across the US (below), but you’ll also want to check to see if your local waste program has an app.

Sacramento does – SacRecycle! The app isn’t super technical, but it covers the basics of pickup schedule and offers a search feature to check about recycling vs. trash vs. hazardous waste for a fair number of items!

Nationally, check iRecycle (app) and RecycleNation (app + website) for help with recycling questions for all kinds of things. Both platforms allow you to search by product and zip code. You’ll get a list of local (to you) places that accept the items.

iRecycle lists out the business and address as well as a link to the general website, so you’ll want to contact them individually to check for details on recycling.

RecycleNation includes the name and address of each business as well a list of items accepted but contain no links or specific information, so you’ll still need to call!

How To Recycle Plastic At Home

Buy Less STUFF

The best way to eliminate plastic waste in your home is to eliminate things that will likely be wrapped in plastic into your home!! For a variety of reasons, most products are wrapped in plastic and other materials that give me an eye twitch (I’m looking right at you, styrofoam). Packing paper is really the only packing material that’s easily recycled. All other plastics, foams, etc. cannot be curbside recycled!!

Once you realize how complicated it is to recycle these things, you’ll have major aversion to them as well!!

Shop Locally

Online ordering = packaging waste.. When you shop locally (and generally in store), there’s usually not packaging or not nearly as much packaging! TADA!!! Shopping locally is so much more sustainable than supporting big box stores – plain and simple.

Stop Buying Plastic Water Bottles

Goodness me this is a never ending issue. As an avid water drinker, I absolutely understand the need for good tasting water, but I do not understand the dismissal of waste with all those plastic water bottles. Invest in a good filter or filtration system. This is the best water filter. We used it when we lived in LA! And get yourself a reusable water bottle or two!

How To Recycle Paper At Home

Unsubscribe from Everything

part of the reason we wonder about recycling paper at home is because SO MUCH of it comes in. Between the mailbox and my kid’s school papers, it feels like a million tons of paper just in my dining room. I’m not here to tell you that you should recycle and throw away most of your kid’s work (I do though and I promise it would make your life less-overwhelming), but I am here to tell you to unsubscribing from all the mailing lists hitting your mailbox. TODAY!

Go Paperless

As much as you can, switch to paperless billing. Paperless billing is not the same as automatic payments, so you’ll still get an email about your bill and can pay it. Many companies also offer app alerts (though I’m a big proponent of limiting app notifications too)!

How to Recycle Food Waste at home

Meal Planning

Option one is to plan your meals. This might be all meals; it might just be dinners or maybe just breakfasts. If you have a plan with your food, however, then your shopping list will be much more intentional – and you’re less likely to buy random items that you may/may not use.

Meal Prepping

An accelerated version of meal planning is meal prepping. This prevents scrambles for meals at the last minute, unnecessarily eating out or buying ingredients you aren’t apt to finish.

Shop Your Kitchen

Option three for responsible food waste reduction is what I like to call “shopping your kitchen.” It means you let the food in your home dictate your meals. I do this loosely, however. I often make what I want, but I find a way to incorporate whatever we have and need to eat into our meals. And then if I buy something to complete a random meal that uses up a lot of food, then that’s fine. We aren’t eating random meals all the time!

Eat Seasonally

All produce has a season in which it grows (some longer than others). Produce grown in season (closer to your home) will taste better and last longer thereby limiting food waste!

How to Recycle Everything Else?

Hah. Yah – the list is endless (but my posts and tips are getting there). Here are a slew of recycling posts to help you with lots of those recycling questions.

The post called “where to recycle household goods” includes all sorts of things like how to recycle Christmas lights, batteries, light bulbs, CDS, and all kinds of electronics!