Common Recycling Errors

On average 8.3% of the material that is put in Madison's green recycling carts cannot be recycled. This material is removed at the recycling plant and sent to the landfill. This misplaced trash costs Madison taxpayers $89,000 to toss out in 2006.

The Streets Division recently sorted through recyclables we collected looking for some of the common mistakes Madison recyclers make. Here are the most common items that residents put in their recycling carts that should have been put in the trash.

MATERIAL THAT CANNOT BE RECYCLED

Glass

Broken glasses, light bulbs, mirrors and windows should go directly into your tan refuse cart.

Metal

Scrap metal such as this bar, shelving, and automobile parts should not be placed in your recycling cart. They can be brought to a drop-off site for recycling.

Styrofoam

Styrofoam cannot be recycled. All Styrofoam should be placed in your tan refuse cart.

Plastic Packaging

Plastic blister packaging like this cannot be recycled. It should go directly in your tan refuse cart.

Loose Plastic Bags and Film

Plastic bags, sheet plastic and plastic film should be placed inside a plastic bag before going in your green recycling cart. Loose bags jams our sorting equipment.

Cups

At this time we can only recycle #2 and #5 cups. These are heavier plastic. We cannot recycle other plastic cups or paper cups of any kind.

Rigid Plastics

Hard, rigid plastic should not be put in your green recycling cart. You can recycle it at our drop-off sites.