Recycling doesn’t have to be confusing

Earth Day, April 22, is a perfect time to get reeducated and renew your commitment to recycling.

One of the most-often-asked questions is: Can I recycle this?

It can be confusing because not all single-stream recycling programs have the same rules and regulations.

Now, DNREC has taken all confusion out of what can and cannot be recycled with a website devoted to answering that question.

The website lists every conceivable item you can think of and informs you if it can be recycled. If an item can't be recycled through the single-stream system, the website offers suggestions and options, or lets you know it's trash.

For example, you can't place styrofoam in your recycling bin, but you can take it to the Delaware Solid Waste Authority’s Jones Crossroads Recycling Center off Route 9 south of Georgetown.

You can type in an item or scroll down the page and click on an icon to get information.

Some things obviously can't be placed in a recycle bin, including electronics, yard waste, hazardous household waste and plastic bags, but other items such as plastic cups, shipping bags, wrapping paper and the often-discussed pizza boxes are always a question mark. Plastic bags – except those to wrap meat, fish, fruit and vegetables – are banned at all Delaware grocery and retail stores.

All of the items mentioned above that can't be recycled in a bin can be recycled in other ways. Jones Crossroads accepts household waste from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mondays and electronics from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

DSWA transfer stations, like the one on Route 5 between Lewes and Long Neck, accept yard waste, and grocery stores are required to have plastic bag recycling boxes.

Now for the other items: no to plastic cups, lids and straws and most Tyvek shipping bags, and yes to wrapping paper (it can't be foil, and bows and ribbons must be removed), yes to pizza box lids if they are completely free of food residue. Remember, it's only the lids. You will have to tear the box apart to recycle the cardboard lid.

Here is a list of selected items that can't be recycled in your bin: plastic wrap, food waste, K-cups, mirrors, Dixie cups, hardcover books, shredded paper, six-pack rings, aerosol cans, bubble wrap and snack food bags.

Here is what can be recycled in your bin (and it's a lot). But remember everything must be clean, dry and separated.

Paper – Nearly every paper product you can think of, including catalogs, composition books, mail, gift bags, cards, magazines, newspapers, office paper, paper bags, paper egg cartons, paper packaging and shipping envelopes, paperback books, phone books, and spiral-bound notebooks.

Plastic containers (place caps/lids back on. No need to crush) – Product bottles and jugs, clean frozen-dinner trays, laundry detergent bottles, milk jugs, plastic bottles, #5 plastic cups, plastic detergent pod containers, plastic soda bottles, tubs, water bottles, prescription drug bottles, Tupperware containers, vitamin bottles, and yogurt containers.

Metal (no need to crush) – Aluminum cans, foil and pans, cans, cookie tins, glass jar lids, pet food cans, and steel cans.

Glass (remove tops from glass jars and recycle both items) - Glass beer bottles, jars, soda bottles, and wine bottles.

Cartons (with caps on) – Milk, juice, broth and coffee creamer cartons, and juice boxes.

Paperboard - Cereal boxes, paper towel and toilet paper tubes, paper packaging, paperboard envelopes, shoe boxes and six-pack bottle carriers, snack food boxes, and take-out drink carriers.

Corrugated cardboard - Corrugated cardboard, cardboard boxes and pizza box lids.

It's important to remember that just because an item can't be part of single-stream recycling, it doesn't mean it can't be recycled another way or reused. Thrift shops are the perfect place to take items such as dinner- and cookware, and other household items so they can be reused.

No-nos in recycling

Shredded paper should not be placed in your recycle bin, nor should window glass, mirrors or dishes.

One of the biggest violators of single-stream is frozen food boxes. Nearly every one is coated with a wax substance and can't be recycled. They are trash.

Plastic bags are also a big no-no because they clog up recycling machinery. Take them back to the store.

These items can only be recycled by being taken back to a retail store and dropped off in a plastic bag bin: air shipping pillows, bread bags, bubble wrap, dry cleaning bags, ice bags, newspaper bags, plastic bags, plastic film covering for paper towels, toilet paper and water bottles, produce bags, non-paper shipping envelopes and six-pack rings.

Hazardous waste

The following items should be taken to a DSWA Household Hazardous Waste collection event: Aerosol cans (full), ammunition, antifreeze (liquid), bleach (liquid), car batteries, small compressed-gas tanks, corrosives, drain cleaners, fire extinguishers, fireworks, fluorescent bulbs, fungicides, gasoline and kerosene, gunpowder, herbicides, mercury thermometers, mixed fuels, nail polish, nail polish remover, oven cleaners, oil-based paint, perfumes, pesticides, pool chemicals, propane tanks, stains, varnishes, strippers and thinners, used sharps and wood preservatives. Go to the DSWA website at dswa.com for locations and dates.

For more information and to see the list, go to dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/waste-hazardous/recycling/what/#/topics. Also, check out dswa.com/facilities/landfills and recyclopedia.org/de/state/solutions/delaware-recycling-center.