Refuse or recycle?: What can and cannot be placed in Tulsa recycle bins

Here are some tips to keep handy for the next time you aren’t sure what can and cannot be placed in your Tulsa recycle bin: 

Yes: Mixed paper, newspaper and magazines; flattened cardboard; glass bottles and jars; aluminum cans and plastic bottles (do not flatten; the automated sorter can’t separate it from paper products); steel cans; plastic tubs (sour cream, cottage cheese etc.) with lids snapped back on; plastic drinking cups (reusable souvenir cups, QuikTrip cups); medicine and vitamin bottles, all colors (remove/mark out any confidential information); aerosol cans and rigid bottles/containers generated from the kitchen, laundry and bathroom only(items from garage, yard or shed can contain pollutants or flammable/combustible materials and should be thrown away). 

No: Aluminum foil, pie tins and cooking trays; plastic grocery bags (return to retailer) and flexible firm plastics, like zip-close and cereal bags; cheese and processed meat packaging; Styrofoam; straws; green waste; electronics, lightbulbs and batteries (see themetrecycle.com for other options); ceramic mugs, drinking glasses cookware or dishware; and picture glass, mirror glass or glass of any other kind.

Additional tips: 

To rinse or not to rinse? If a steel can is coated in something thick like tomato sauce, rinse it out. But items like jugs or cartons don’t need to be washed unless you’re worried about potential odors. Generally speaking, just “Empty, cap and recycle,” American Waste Control, Inc. says. 

Never bag recyclables. 

Recycle that pizza box! If cheese or grease remains, tear off the contaminated section and blue bin that bad boy. 

Not recyclable? The following can still be composted: Coffee grounds and paper coffee filters; tea and tea bags; wine bottle corks; old herbs and spices, pet feathers and fur; 100% cotton balls/swabs; algae, seaweed and kelp; stale or moldy bread/crackers/cereal; toothpicks and bamboo skewers; and dryer lint and dust.

Thank you to Paul Ross, vice president of American Waste Control Inc., and Tulsa Master Gardener Allen Robinson for their expertise in recycling and composting, respectively.