Should I Remove Lids From My Glass Recyclables?

Glass jars or bottles may have either plastic or glass lids on them which may lead to some confusion when throwing these into your recycling bin. Should they be removed? Are they, themselves, recyclable? Will leaving them on contaminate the whole load of recycling?

At the Recycling Works facility in Elkhart, Indiana, their state-of-the-art facility is well-equipped to handle these questions....and these commodities. Recycling Works employs the help of such a sophisticated sorting machine that the lids on glass containers do not have to be removed before placing the containers into regular recycling.

Should I Remove Caps From Plastic Bottles Before Recycling Them?

Since the inception of more modern recycling, rules governing acceptable items have somewhat evolved. This is generally due to more improved procedures for recycling collection, as well as more improved processes as the raw commodities get turned into new items.

Although caps on plastic jars and bottles used to have to be removed before recycling them, the Plastics Recycling Industry (APR) asks that caps and closures be kept on plastic bottles and containers at the point of recycling."

Should I Remove Labels From Cans Or Bottles Before Recycling Them?

Recycling used to come with a lot of rules and restrictions making it somewhat inconvenient, although still worthwhile. Along with other mandated "Recycling Do's", labels used to have to be removed from cans, bottles, and jars. Today's more sophisticated recycling processes for plastic aluminum, and metal are designed to be effective, with or without labels.

It was once necessary to remove paper labels before the recycling process since they can cause flash fires in the furnace when recycling, posing a hazard to employees. It also produces impurities in the end product. Some recycling centers offer to remove the labels at the recycling plant, but this service is more rare and most times not necessary.