Master List of Recycling and Disposal Recycle Bin Keep recycling loads free of contaminants. Know what you can and can't recycle. PAPER Flatten boxes. Keep paper flat, loose, clean and dry. Cellophane “windows,” glue on boxes and papers with tape or staples are okay. It helps to put all brown bags into one brown bag. RECYCLE DON'T RECYCLE Advertising mail Magazines Catalogues Envelopes Packaging for cosmetics or toiletries All sorts of boxes, including corrugated cardbord, cereal (without waxed paper liner), dried food, medicine and shoe boxes Phone books Paper egg cartons Paperback books Newspapers Pizza boxes or any box soiled with grease or food waste. Paper plates Facial or bathroom tissue Carbon paper Disposable diapers Hardcover books Milk cartons* Plastic and wax paper box liners or wrappings Frozen food containers Paper towels *Waste Connections/BFI customers can recycle milk cartons and juice boxes along with their tin, aluminum and glass. ALUMINUM AND TIN CANS Remove labels from food cans. Empty and rinse all cans. You don’t need to flatten cans. RECYCLE DON'T RECYCLE Beverage cans, like vegetable or fruit juice cans Food cans, like soup, coffee or pet food cans Clean alumninum foil Aerosol cans Solvent cans Paint cans Hangers Medical wastes or needles Oil filters PLASTICS Most plastic containers are marked with a number 1-7. Plastic bottles marked #1 and #2 only are accepted for recycling in King County. In the City of Seattle, in addition to bottles, plastic yogurt and other similar containers labelled #1 or #2 are also accepted as are all other plastics (#3-7). Throw away plastic caps. Empty, rinse and flatten bottles. You don’t need to remove labels. RECYCLE DON'T RECYCLE Plastic bottles marked #1 or #2 such as: Shampoo and conditioner bottles Beverage bottles (milk, juice, water, pop, liquor) Laundry detergent and fabric softener bottles Most cooking oil bottles Salad dressing bottles Window and kitchen cleaner bottles Any plastic container that is not a bottle, such as yogurt containers, margarine tubs and microwave food trays, even if they are labeled #1 or #2 (unless in the City of Seattle). Plastic bags Plastic food trays Plastics marked #3 through #7 (unless you live in the City of Seattle), or not labeled with a number. Plastic bottles that have contained motor oil, pesticides or other hazardous materials Lids, caps or rings Styrofoam (such as packing material, cups or egg cartons) GLASS Empty and rinse. Do not break glass. Throw away caps or rings. You don’t have to remove labels. RECYCLE DON'T RECYCLE Green, brown, or clear glass bottles and jars only Ceramics, like mugs, plates, or flower pots Broken glass Drinking glasses Window glass Mirrors Lightbulbs Caps or rings Compost Bin Composting is a practical and convenient way to transform yard wastes into a resource. You can build your own yard waste wood and wire 3-bin compost system or portable wood and wire compost bin (call 296-4477 for instruction sheet) or buy a compost bin locally or by mail. Here are some things you can put in your yard waste compost bin: YARD WASTE COMPOST BIN COMPOST DON'T COMPOST Grass clippings Leaves Flowers House plants Annual weeds Twigs Sod Food scraps Diseased plants Insect ridden plants Weeds with seeds Dog and cat feces Unchopped tree branches Other woody waste Worm Bin Rather than filling up your garbage and the landfill with food waste, why not compost it! You can do this in a worm bin, where worms and other critters will break it down into a material that is a good fertilizer for other plants. You can build an E-Z Worm Composting Bin or buy worms. COMPOST DON'T COMPOST Vegetable Scraps Apple Cores Grains and pasta Fruit rinds and peels Breads Coffee grounds and filters Eggshells Paper napkins and paper towels Meat Fish and poultry Cheese Oily foods Butter Other animal products BURYING FOOD WASTE Food wastes can also be buried directly in a vegetable or flower garden or around the drip line of trees and shrubs (the outer edge of the branch spread). To avoid problems with rodents and other pests, dig a hole about one foot deep. Put three to four inches of food waste at the bottom of the hole, and use a shovel to chop and mix the wastes into the soil at the bottom. Cover the waste with at least eight inches of soil to prevent rodents and other animals from digging it up. Wastemobile “Warning…Caution…Danger…Poison!” These are the labels that indicate hazardous products in the home that can put your family, pets, and environment at risk. The wastemobile is a traveling disposal center for these materials. Remember not to mix products, and to keep them in their original containers when bringing them in to the Wastemobile. To get answers to more detailed questions, or to find out when the Wastemobile will be in your area, call the Hazards Hotline at (206) 296-4692. BRING DON'T BRING Hobby chemicals, including pool chemicals Pesticides and herbicides Glues and adhesives Oil-based paints Thinners and solvents Latex paints (for a quarter can or less: dry it out and put it in the garbage) Toxic cleaning products Antifreeze Aerosols and cleaners Automotive products Explosives (call bomb squad, 911) Business/apartment maintenance waste Empty containers of any type Asbestos Fluorescent or incandescent lights Household batteries Medical or biological wastes Radioactive material Thrift Store Many items we throw away could be put to good use by other people. Think about making a trip down to the local thrift store where you can donate items that you no longer need. Check with the thrift store or donation center of your choice to find out what they accept. Generally, you can donate the following items. DONATE Books Clothing Bedding Carpets Pots and pans Glasses and silverware Sporting goods Shoes Musical instruments Furniture Toys and games Small appliances Garbage Can If you can’t recycle or reuse an item, and you can’t put it in a worm bin or compost bin, then it ends up here…in the garbage. Many of those items are listed in the right hand column of the pages on recycling, compost bins, and worm bins. By following the steps outlined on those pages however, we can reduce the amount of garbage we make! The more we reduce, the less we send to the landfill. THROW AWAY Pizza boxes or any box soiled with grease of food waste Paper towels Paper plates Facial or bathroom tissues Carbon paper Disposable diapers Milk cartons Plastic and wax paper box liners or wrappings Frozen food containers Plastics marked #3 through #7 (except in the City of Seattle where #3-#7 bottles are accepted for recycling), or not labeled with a number Any plastic container that is not a bottle, such as yogurt containers, margarine tubs and microwave tubs and microwave food trays, even if they are labeled #1 or #2 Plastic bags Plastic bottles that have contained motor oil, pesticides or other hazardous materials Styrofoam (such as packing material, cups or egg cartons) Broken glass Window glass Mirrors Light Bulbs Caps or rings Diseased plants Insect ridden plants Weeds with seeds Dog and cat feces Unchopped tree branches Meat Fish and poultry Cheese Oily foods Butter Other animal products Lids, caps, or rings Plastic food trays   Updated: August 28 , 2000 Natural Resources Kids Web Home | Kids Web Home | Solid Waste Kids Page Click below to link to the main King County site. 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