Recycling
   Recycling
ecomaine

What Can Be Recycled

Single Sort Recycling

All Types of Recyclable Materials Go Into The Same Box...No Need To Separate!

Recycling Paper
Recycling Paperboard and Cardboard
**Recycling Plastic
Recycling Glass
Recycling Cans and Aluminum
Common Mistakes

Recycling Paper

What Can Be Recycled—We can recycle most paper. Specifically, office paper, mail, newspapers, magazines, phone books, catalogs, all books, & paper bags.

How to Prepare Materials—Keep clean and dry. Remove any product samples and plastic cards from mail.

What to Exclude—NO carbon paper, NO photographs, NO paper contaminated with food, NO waxed paper, and NO facial tissue paper or paper towels.

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Recycling Paperboard and Cardboard

What Can Be Recycled—Acceptable materials include clean/empty boxes with any metal and plastic removed: cereal, rice, cake mix, salt , medicine, toiletry, aspirin, band-aid, & shirt boxes. Also included are: tubes from toilet paper & paper towel rolls, writing pad backs, poster board, paperboard egg cartons and clean corrugated cardboard boxes, gable top milk & juice cartons, & aseptic containers.

How to Prepare Materials—Discard waxed paper, foil and plastic liners. Discard metal spouts and cutting strips as on salt and plastic wrap boxes. Use caution to prevent injury. Keep all materials clean and dry.

What to Exclude—NO waxed paper or waxed cardboard boxes such as vegetables and meats are shipped in, NO foil liners, NO plastic liners.

Any item bigger than a five-gallon bucket needs to be taken to your transfer station.

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Recycling Plastic

What Can Be Recycled—Specifically milk jugs, cider jugs, water jugs and similar #2 plastic containers. Detergent bottles, bleach bottles, and similar #2 colored plastic containers. Vegetable oil, soda, and similar #1 clear or colored plastic. All #1 - #7 plastic containers are now acceptable. This includes, #1 or #2 butter tubs, yogurt containers, microwave dishes, and peanut butter containers. All #3-#7 containers. This includes #3 - #7 tubs, lids and containers. Plastic shopping sacks marked with a recycling symbol can be recycled.

How to Prepare Materials—Make clean enough for storage in your home. There is no need to remove labels.

What to Exclude—NO containers with product in them - all containers must be empty., No plastic without the recycling triangle and a plastic identification number of #1 - #7 NO Styrofoam(not even #6). NO CD/DVD jewel cases, NO Ziploc- type bags, NO cling wrap or shrink wrap. NO trash bags or dry cleaning bags.

Any item bigger than a five-gallon bucket needs to be taken to your transfer station.

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Recycling Glass

What Can Be Recycled—Clear and colored glass bottles and jars

How to Prepare Materials—Make clean enough for storage in your home. You do not have to rinse containers. You may leave the labels on.

What to Exclude—NO window glass. NO auto glass, such as windshields, NO safety glass with a plastic or metal inner membrane, NO ceramic or mirror glass.

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Recycling Cans and Aluminum

What Can Be Recycled—Metal food and beverage cans, aluminum foil, aluminum trays and pans, pots & pans, and empty aerosol cans.

How to Prepare Materials—Make clean enough for storage in your home.You may leave the labels on.

What to Exclude—NO propane tanks or bottles. NO small or large appliances.

Any item bigger than a five-gallon bucket needs to be taken to your transfer station.

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Common Mistakes

Unfortunately, not everything is recyclable. Listed below are some common mistakes well-meaning recyclers tend to deposit into the recycling bins. These items are NOT recyclable in our single-sort system and should be disposed of properly (call your municipal offices or ecomaine at 207-773-1738).

  • Wax covered boxes— such as waxed vegetable boxes, frozen food boxes or wax covered bags, paper, or cups
  • Tyvek envelopes and no envelopes with bubble wrap on the interior
  • Expanded polystyrene— such as Styrofoam or peanuts
  • Vinyl siding
  • Foil lined boxes— such as dishwashing detergent boxes
  • Used hypodermic needles and other sharps (hazardous medical waste)
  • Shrink wrap, cling wrap and plastic film; sandwich bags
  • Any plastic toys (due to moving parts & multiple material-types
  • CDs or DVDs
  • Tarps
  • Mirrors & window glass
  • Porcelain— such as toilets or sinks
  • Plastic forks, spoons, or knives
  • Foam trays & containers
  • Disposable coffee cup tops
  • Potato chip or food bags
  • Garden hose
  • Rope (of any kind)
  • Baby pools or pool linings
  • Six-pack rings
  • Napkins & tissues
  • Any item larger than a five-gallon bucket will not fit through our single-sort equipment - please take these items to your transfer station.
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