Are You Recycling Right?

When it comes to recycling do you know what is and isn’t acceptable?

When it comes to your recycle container, the City of Cheyenne accepts the following items:

• Newspapers, magazines, phone books, and catalogs
• Brown paper bags
• Cardboard containers
• Plastics #1 & #2 ONLY
• Steel Cans (no food waste)
• Aluminum Cans, Foil, and Pie Tins (no food waste)
• Junk Mail
• Office Pack

Examples of acceptable plastic #1 items include: soft drink bottles, mineral water bottles, fruit juice containers, and cooking oil containers. Examples of acceptable plastic #2 items include: milk jugs, cleaning agents, laundry detergents, bleaching agents, shampoo bottles, washing and shower soaps.

As a reminder, do not bag recyclables! Bagged items in your recycle container are sent to the landfill. The City is currently testing container lids that prevent opening unless turned upside down as they are emptied. When available, the City will begin installing these devices in the City.

Non-acceptable items in your recycle container include: glass, plastic bags, plastic lids, styrofoam, waxed food/drink cartons, clothes, shoes, blankets, diapers, needles, shredded paper, paper plates, paper cups, plasticware, plastic straws, hoses, electronics, and tarps. In other words, if the item is not shown in the acceptable list above, do not place it in the recycle container!

Following the do’s and don’ts provided above can help the City reduce its contamination rate of over 30 percent from 2018. Out of 3,650 tons of recyclables collected last year, 1,150 tons had to be sent to landfill due to unacceptable items being discovered.

Together we can improve the efficiency of this program with a better understanding of what is and isn’t recyclable. Join the fight to recycle right!