Why Recycling Right Matters

Trash mixed in with recycables costs Madison taxpayers thousands of dollars.

All of the trash that needs to be separated out from good recyclables costs extra dollars.  

In 2025, 18.9% of the recyclables of what we collect in the green recycling carts is actually trash items that should not be there.

In some cases, the wrong material in the recycling cart can be dangerous.  It can cause significant damage - including fires - to the facilities that sort the materials.

Check out the video that shows how your recycling is sorted. That will help you better understand the recycling rules, and have greater empathy for the people at the recycling sorting facility who are helping sort through all of the tons of stuff we all throw out.