Getting Started

If you are not in the habit of recycling, getting started may seem complicated, but it is easy to learn and will soon become a habit.

Learn about your program

Start by finding out what kind of program is available to you. Contact your municipality or your county recycling coordinator to find out what materials are recyclable, how to sort them, and what kind of program is in place. If your local program offers curbside recycling, find out when the recyclables will be picked up, usually once every week or two weeks, and how to get a bin if you don't already have one. If your program consists of a drop-off facility, find out where it is and when it is open.

Set up your home

Once you know how to sort materials, set up your home for recycling by getting separate containers for each type of recyclable material; ordinary wastebaskets work well. Put them near your trash cans or near where recyclables are generated. For example, keep bins for plastic, glass, and metal food containers in the kitchen, and a bin for paper in a home office. Make sure that the recycling bins are as convenient to use as the trash can is, so that you will not be tempted to put things into the wrong container. Choose a spot where you can store your curbside bin between pick-ups.

Practice recycling

Post a guide near your trash and recycling containers and refer to it whenever you are not sure what is recyclable and what is not. Your municipality may provide the information in a flyer, or you can base your guide on one like this, but remember that any guide not specific to your local program will include generalizations and you may have to adapt it. Until you become familiar with the guidelines, check before you throw things away.

Tell all the members of your household that they should start recycling, and make sure they know where the bins are and which items go in which bins.

If you have a curbside program, empty your household recycling containers into the curbside collection bin and put it out at the curb the night before pick-up, just as you would with your regular trash. If your program requires that materials be sorted, use a paper bag for each type of material. If your program uses a drop-off facility, you may want to get into the habit of taking your recyclables there at the same time every week.

Remember that recycling is one of the easiest and most effective ways for an individual to make a difference for the environment. Only you can control what you throw away and what you keep out of the trash, so take advantage of the opportunity to recycle.