Accepted Materials

What to Recycle

1. Accepted Items

   Plastic Containers Empty, rinse, & replace caps/lids	Plastic Containers #1, #2, & #5 Plastic bottles & jugs Water, soda, and juice bottles Milk and detergent jugs Shampoo, soap, & lotion bottles Plastic cups & containers Yogurt, pudding, & fruit cups Margarine, cottage cheese, & other food tubs Hard-plastic produce & take-out containers
   Metal Empty & rinse	Food & beverage cans Aluminum foil & trays Decorative tins & pie tins Empty aerosol cans
   Glass Empty, rinse, & remove caps/lids	Food & beverage bottles & jars
   Cartons Empty, rinse, replace caps/lids	Soup, broth, & wine cartons Milk cartons Juice boxes
   Paper Keep dry & flat	Office & school papers Newspapers & inserts Magazines, mail, & phone books
   Boxes Empty & flatten	Cardboard Delivery pizza boxes Cereal, cracker, shoe, & gift boxes Toiletry boxes

2. Not Accepted

   	No plastic bags or film No plastic identified with #3, #4, #6, or #7 No containers lager than 3 gallons No Black Plastic No large storage bins, laundry baskets, or toys
   	No tanglers (hoses, cords, or string lights) No electronics No batteries
   	No food or liquids No compostable materials No shredded paper
   	No styrofoam or paper to-go containers No styrofoam or paper to-go cups No dishes or cookware No egg cartons (paper or styrofoam)
   	No batteries or electronics No light bulbs No helium or fuel tanks No scrap metal
   	No sharp objects/needles No hazardous waste No containers that held hazardous materials No old medicine

3. No Longer Accepted (Program Changes)

   

   Cloth:

   Clothing, linens, and textiles are no longer accepted in the residential collection program. Do not place clothing/textiles in or next to your recycling cart. For donation opportunities, visit the Ramsey County Reuse and Donation page.

    

    

    

    

    

    

   

   Shredded Paper:

   Shredded paper is no longer accepted in the residential recycling program. When placed in your recycling cart, shredded paper most often does not get recycled due to its very small size and can be a contaminant for other materials in the recycling process. Keep your paper shredding to a minimum. Paper for shredding is typically accepted at our Citywide Drop off Events. You can also refer to the Ramsey County AtoZ Recycling and Disposal Guide for disposal options.

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

   Election Signs:

   General and/or political signs (typically made of corrugated plastic) can’t be recycled in Saint Paul's collection program. These signs may be kept for future use, for an adapted use, or discarded as waste. Please check with the sponsor/campaign that distributed the sign to see if they are collecting these signs following the election.

   If you have metals signs or metal stakes, separate any metal from the plastic campaign signs and recycle with scrap metal at a metal recycler.

    

    

    

    

   

   Scrap Metal:

   Just because something is metal, doesn't mean it goes into the recycling cart. Miscellaneous scrap metal pieces, like hangers, pipe, nails, shelving, trim, and other similar items, cause LOTS of damage to sorting equipment at Material Recycling Facilities. These items can also be a hazard to employees working the line, for example leaky propane cylinders may explode or cause fires. 

   ONLY metal cans and bottles go into the recycling cart.

   Recycle scrap metal by dropping it off at a metal recycling business.