Recycling at Home

This is a general guideline of household items that are recyclable throughout Ramsey County for all housing types.

Many communities accept additional materials for recycling, like cardboard cans and clothing and other textiles. Contact your city or recycling hauler for more information.

For other items, check our A to Z Recycling & Disposal Guide.

General tips

• Empty and rinse containers and replace caps.
• ​Only put plastic bottles, cups, containers and jugs with a recycling number 1, 2 or 5 in your recycling cart.
• Flatten cardboard boxes. Do not flatten cartons, metal cans or plastic containers.
• Keep paper and boxes dry.
• Place all recyclables loose in your recycling cart. Do not use plastic bags. They jam the sorting machines. Bring plastic bags to a retailer that accepts them.
• Do not recycle black plastic containers and bottles.

Kitchen

Bottles, cans, cartons and jugs

• Dishwashing bottles.
• Glass food and beverage bottles and jars.
• Ketchup and salad dressing bottles.
• Metal food and beverage cans.
• Milk and juice cartons and jugs.
• Plastic water, pop and juice bottles.
• Soup, broth and wine cartons.
• Clear plastic egg cartons.

Tubs, containers and lids

• Clear fruit and vegetable containers.
• Margarine, cottage cheese, cream cheese, yogurt and other tubs.
• Yogurt, pudding and fruit cups – no lids.

Boxes and cardboard tubes

• All boxes from the pantry and refrigerator (no frozen food boxes) – flatten. Plastic liners inside most boxes can be taken to a retailer that accepts them (unless they tear like paper).
• Pizza delivery boxes – no food or grease.
• Paper towel tubes and toilet paper tubes.

Office and mail

Paper and boxes

• Delivery boxes – break down first.
• Magazines and catalogs.
• Mail: letters, envelopes and cards (no foil or glitter) and advertisements. Sound cards should be taken to a household hazardous waste collection site.
• Newspaper and inserts.
• Office and school papers.
• Phone books.
• No shredded paper, wrapping paper or tissue paper.

Bathroom

• Shampoo, soap and lotion bottles.
• Tissue boxes.
• Toilet paper tubes.
• Toothpaste boxes and other toiletry boxes. No boxes with foil.

Laundry room

• Fabric softener boxes.
• Laundry detergent bottles.

Do not put these items in your recycling cart

• Batteries.
• Containers that contained paint, used oil, antifreeze and other hazardous products.
• Diapers.
• Dishes, vases and mirrors.
• Electronics.
• Foil pouches, bags and wrappers.
• Needles and syringes.
• Paper cups, plastic straws and utensils.
• Personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Pipes, clothes hangers, pots and pans and other scrap metal.
• Plastic bags, bubble wrap and other plastic film.
• Propane and fuel tanks.
• Ropes, hoses, chains, string lights and other items that may tangle in sorting equipment.
• Shredded paper, wrapping paper or tissue paper.