What Can You Recycle in Your County? Complete US Guide (2026)

Standing at your bin and not sure if that item belongs? You’re not alone.

Recycling rules vary by county, by hauler, and even by year — and the rules have changed more in the last two years than in the previous decade.

This guide gives you the national picture for what can you recycle in your county, explains why certain items are banned, and shows you exactly how to look up your local rules in under two minutes.

The Quick Answer: What’s Almost Always Accepted

Most curbside recycling programs across the US accept the same core group of materials. If you’re in a hurry, start here.

Almost always accepted curbside:

• Aluminum beverage cans (rinsed)
• Steel and tin food cans (rinsed)
• Cardboard boxes (flattened and dry)
• Newspaper and office paper
• Plastic bottles and jugs labeled #1 (PET) or #2 (HDPE)
• Glass bottles and jars (where curbside glass is accepted — see the glass section)
• Magazines and catalogs
• Paper bags and brown paper

Almost always rejected curbside:

• Plastic bags and any plastic film or wrap
• Styrofoam (expanded polystyrene, #6)
• Single-use coffee cups (they have a plastic lining)
• Pizza boxes with heavy grease soaking (lightly greasy is usually fine)
• Electronics and batteries
• Shredded paper

Your county may vary. Glass, aluminum foil, aerosol cans, and polypropylene (#5) plastics are accepted in some programs but not others. Always check your local rules before assuming.

Paper & Cardboard Recycling Rules

Paper and cardboard are among the most recycled materials in the US — and also among the most contaminated. Knowing which types belong in your bin makes a real difference.

Accepted paper and cardboard:

• Corrugated cardboard boxes (must be flattened and dry; remove Styrofoam and plastic liners)
• Newspaper, office paper, printer paper
• Magazines, catalogs, and junk mail
• Paper bags (grocery and retail)
• Cereal boxes and other dry food boxes (empty)
• Envelopes, including window envelopes
• Egg cartons (cardboard only)
• Cardboard paper towel and toilet paper rolls

Not accepted in curbside recycling:

• Wax-coated or plastic-coated cardboard (produce boxes, frozen food boxes, juice cartons)
• Paper towels, napkins, and tissues (fiber quality is too low; these items are usually soiled)
• Tissue paper and wrapping paper (too thin, often dyed)
• Carbon paper
• Single-use coffee cups with wax or polyethylene lining

Are Pizza Boxes Recyclable?

Yes — most of the time. The American Forest & Paper Association confirmed in 2023 that the small amount of grease typically found on a pizza box does not prevent it from being recycled at a paper mill. More than 80% of Americans live in communities where pizza boxes can go in the curbside bin.

The exception is a box that is heavily soaked or dripping with grease. During recycling, materials get pulped into a water slurry. Oil floats to the top and can’t be separated from paper fibers, ruining a batch. If the bottom of your box is lightly stained, recycle it. If it is soaked through, tear off the clean top lid to recycle and trash the bottom. Always remove leftover food first.

Is Shredded Paper Recyclable?

Not curbside, in most programs. Shredded paper is technically recyclable but rejected by the vast majority of curbside programs for three practical reasons. First, tiny strips fall through sorting screens and end up in the trash pile. Second, they clog conveyor belts and disc sorters, creating a fire hazard. Third, shredding shortens the cellulose fibers, reducing the quality of the paper that mills can make from recovered material.

If you need to recycle shredded paper, seal it inside a paper envelope before placing it in the bin, use a certified shredding service that creates large industrial bales, or search for a drop-off location that accepts it.

Plastic Recycling — What the Numbers Mean

The number inside the chasing arrows symbol on a plastic container is called the resin identification code (RIC). It tells you what type of plastic the item is made from. It does not guarantee that your local program accepts it. The US recycles only about 5–6% of all plastic produced — the lowest rate among developed nations.

Here is what each code typically means for curbside recycling:

Big change in 2026: Polypropylene (#5) cups — including Starbucks-style cold to-go cups — earned a “Widely Recyclable” designation from How2Recycle in February 2026. That means more than 60% of US households can now recycle them curbside. This is a major shift from as recently as 2022, when fewer than 30% of Americans had access to programs that accepted PP.

Why Are Plastic Bags Banned from Curbside Recycling?

Plastic bags and film wrap are banned from every major curbside recycling program in the US. The reason is purely mechanical. At a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), thin plastic film wraps around conveyor rollers, disc screens, and augers. Workers must manually cut bags free from the machinery multiple times per shift. When enough film gets in, it causes a complete shutdown.

A second problem: workers sorting recyclables on a fast-moving line cannot see inside bags. Any recyclables placed inside a plastic bag — cans, bottles, paper — get pulled from the line and sent to the landfill along with the bag.

Where CAN You Recycle Plastic Bags?

Most major grocery retailers operate plastic film take-back programs at the front of the store. Target, Walmart, Kroger, and many other chains have collection bins that accept clean, dry grocery bags, produce bags, bread bags, dry cleaning bags, and bubble wrap. Search “plastic bag drop-off near me” on Earth911.com to find your nearest location.

Glass Recycling — Curbside or Drop-Off?

Glass is one of the most misunderstood materials in recycling. Many people assume it is always accepted curbside. In reality, glass acceptance varies significantly by region — and many programs have actually removed glass from curbside collection in recent years.

The national glass recycling rate is approximately 25–27%. That’s well below the glass container industry’s 50% target for 2030. States with bottle deposit systems (California, Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Hawaii) average about 63% glass recycling. Non-deposit states average around 24%.

Why many programs removed glass from curbside collection:

When glass is collected in a single-stream truck alongside paper and plastics, it shatters. Broken glass creates fine particles called “glass fines” that embed in paper bales and plastic bales, reducing their value to mills and buyers. The economics of sorting and transporting glass to a processor are often more expensive than simply landfilling it — that was cited as the top financial concern by 37% of recycling coordinators in a 2023 survey.

How to check if your county accepts glass curbside:

Visit your county’s waste management website or your hauler’s accepted materials page. If glass is not accepted curbside, search for a glass drop-off near you. Many programs that removed glass from single-stream collection have added color-coded glass drop-off sites or separate glass collection carts.

Metal Recycling — What Goes in the Bin

Metals are among the most valuable materials in your recycling bin. They are also some of the most consistently accepted across programs.

Aluminum cans are accepted by virtually every curbside program in the US. They represent the highest-value commodity in the residential recycling stream, priced between $1,210 and $1,550 per ton. Despite this, the US aluminum can recycling rate was only 43% in 2023 — Americans threw away an estimated 61 billion cans, representing about $1.2 billion in lost value. States with bottle deposit systems average 68% aluminum can recycling. Non-deposit states average just 22%.

Steel and tin food cans are universally accepted curbside. Rinse them out and leave them loose in the bin — do not crush them flat, as flattened cans can be harder to sort.

Aluminum foil is a “check locally” item. Many programs accept clean aluminum foil and foil trays (such as pie pans), but it must be free of food residue. Ball it up before placing it in the bin. Check with your local program first.

Aerosol cans are accepted in some programs but not others. They must be completely empty. Check your local guidelines before placing them in the bin.

Scrap metal — pipes, appliances, auto parts, wire, structural metals — is not accepted in any curbside recycling bin. Scrap metal must go to a dedicated scrap metal recycler (many pay by weight), a scheduled municipal bulky waste pickup, or a transfer station.

What Is Recycling Contamination — and Why It Matters

Contamination happens when non-recyclable items — or recyclable items that are too dirty — end up in the recycling bin. The Recycling Partnership found that the US recycling stream has a contamination rate of 17% by weight at the national level, with some urban programs running as high as 25–35%. Contamination costs the US recycling system an estimated $3.5 billion every year.

The top 5 items that contaminate recycling loads:

1. Plastic bags and film (wrap around machinery; cause shutdowns)
2. Single-use coffee cups (polyethylene lining makes them non-recyclable in standard streams)
3. Styrofoam and expanded polystyrene (no domestic end markets)
4. Heavily food-soiled containers (contaminate paper batches)
5. Shredded paper (clogs sorting equipment; degrades fiber quality)

What happens when a bin or load is contaminated:

At the bin level, your bin may be tagged and skipped — sent to trash rather than recycling — especially in programs that use cameras on collection trucks. At the load level, when contamination exceeds a Materials Recovery Facility’s tolerance, the entire truckload can be sent to a landfill. The cost of that rejection falls on the municipality. Because of this, communities that once received payment for recyclable materials now pay processing fees of $64 per ton on average — sometimes over $100 per ton. High contamination rates have forced 54 curbside recycling programs to close entirely.

The rule when you’re not sure: when in doubt, leave it out. Putting a questionable item in the trash is better than contaminating an entire load of good recyclables.

What Is Wishful Recycling?

Wishful recycling — also called aspirational recycling or wishcycling — means placing items in the recycling bin because you hope they can be recycled, not because you know they can be. It is one of the biggest drivers of contamination nationwide.

Common examples include plastic bags (hoping the program accepts them), Styrofoam takeout containers, greasy pizza boxes, single-use coffee cups, small plastic items like straws and utensils, and electronics. The item does not get recycled — it contaminates the load around it, and everything in that load is at risk of going to the landfill instead.

Items That Need Special Drop-Off Programs

Some materials are too hazardous or too complex for curbside recycling but should never go in the trash either. These require special handling through dedicated programs.

Electronics (e-waste): Computers, phones, TVs, and printers contain valuable metals and toxic materials. Take them to a certified e-waste drop-off event, a retailer take-back program (Best Buy, Staples, and others), or your county’s household hazardous waste facility.

Batteries: All types — AA, lithium, car batteries — are a fire hazard in recycling trucks and landfills. Tape the terminals of lithium batteries before disposal. Drop them off at hardware stores, home improvement stores, or battery recycler locations.

Paint: Latex paint can be dried and thrown away in many states, but oil-based paint is hazardous. PaintCare.org operates drop-off sites at participating paint and hardware retailers.

Medications: Do not flush medications or throw them in the trash. Use a DEA-authorized medication take-back site — many pharmacies participate — or use a medication disposal pouch, available at many pharmacies.

Tires: Tires are not accepted in recycling or trash. Many tire retailers accept old tires for a small fee when you buy new ones, and municipal drop-off sites often accept a limited number per year.

Appliances: Large appliances contain refrigerants, oils, and metals that require special handling. Contact your utility company (many offer appliance recycling pickup), your municipality’s bulky waste program, or a scrap metal dealer.

How to Check Your County’s Specific Recycling Rules

National guides like this one describe the typical rules. Your county’s actual accepted materials list may differ. Here is how to find it in two minutes.

Step 1: Go to your county’s official government website and search for “recycling” or “waste management.” Most counties publish a full accepted materials list.

Step 2: Check your waste hauler’s accepted materials page. Private haulers — Republic Services, WM, Waste Connections, and others — maintain updated lists by service area on their websites.

Step 3: Use Earth911.com to search by material and zip code. Earth911 covers over 350 material types and lists drop-off locations for items that don’t belong in curbside bins.

→ Find your state and county: Browse our state recycling hubs

You may also want to bookmark our County Recycling Schedules Guide for pickup dates and holiday schedule changes.

Frequently Asked Questions