RINSE RECYCLABLES WITH CARE

When you’re recycling an item, how clean should it be? The short answer is “pretty clean.”

If there has been food or drink inside, rinse it well enough to remove all the residue. If you think it might not smell so sweet after a couple days, please give it another rinse before recycling it.

If a recyclable is greasy, scrub out the grease first. If that’s not possible, throw it away. Oily pizza box? Tear out the oily parts and recycle only the clean cardboard left over.

If you’ve picked up an aluminum can along the trail, good for you! Before you toss it in the recycle bin, please make sure it’s free of dirt and, say, soda sludge.

Why does this matter? Enough dirty recyclables, and the entire bin can be considered contaminated. When that happens, Lake County cannot sell the bin’s contents for recycling—and every item inside, clean or not, must be dumped in the landfill. That’s why it’s so important to recycle with care!

For more information, please explore the recycling tips on C4Leadville.org, or ask a member of the Recycling Center team at the Lake County Landfill. Thank you for recycling with care!