Do I have to separate white and colored paper?
White and colored paper can be mixed together and put in bins labeled blend paper. This includes paper with colored ink, blue or green-barred computer paper, and yellow legal paper. Construction paper is a contaminant and should not be recycled with blend paper. See our materials list under "What We Recycle" for a complete list of acceptable items and contaminants.

Do I have to remove staples before recycling blend paper?
No, staples and paper clips are fine. Things to watch out for are the black, plastic clips and rubber bands.

Can I recycle pizza boxes with regular corrugated cardboard?
No, pizza boxes contain grease that inhibits the recycling process. If a box is clean and free of food and grease, it may be put in the cardboard receptacle. Many times, the lid of a pizza box will be clean and can be recycled. If a box is clean and suitable for recycling, it is a good idea to remove the lid because employees will assume a closed box contains food particles.

Do I need to sort glass by color?
In the past, the answer to this question has been yes, but now we collect glass that has been mixed. As always, the lids must be removed and the bottles rinsed before placing them into the recycling bins. Certain kinds of glass including ceramics, dishware, mirrors, light bulbs, and drinking glasses are a different type of glass than beverage and food containers and cannot be recycled.

Where can I recycle magazines?
Magazines are made of a light, glossy paper and can be mixed in with newspaper.

Are plastics such as yogurt containers recyclable?
We only accepts #1 #2 plastic bottles. A bottle is a container that has a mouth that is narrower than its base. Yogurt containers and other plastic tubs may have the correct number, but because of the way they are produced, they have different chemical characteristics from plastic bottles and are therefore not accepted. Remember, only plastic bottles can be recycled. The City has the same policy about recycling plastics - bottles only. The City accepts #s 1, 2, 5 & 7 plastic bottles at recycling drop-off centers.

Where can I recycle telephone books?
We generally tries to accommodate large offices by giving them special bins for telephone book collection during new phonebook distribution. These are generally located near where new books are being distributed. Telephone books can also be recycled along with newspaper and can be put in newspaper bins. To request a bin for telephone books call 610-519-4466.

Can I recycle cereal box material here?
No, cereal boxes are made of a material called mixed paper. It is a cheaper kind of paper than newspaper, blend paper, or corrugated cardboard. The City has mixed paper drives several times during the year and sets out containers in several areas around the city. Contact the City ’s solid waste department at 560-4185 to find out more.

What can I do with styrofoam?
Styrofoam cannot be recycled; however, some of it can be reused. Styrofoam packing peanuts are collected and redistributed so that they can be reused for shipping purposes. Styrofoam block material is not accepted.

What does the "corrugated" in corrugated cardboard mean?
Corrugated means folded into ridges or waves. If you look at the edge of a cardboard box, you can see this folding action in the "ruffled" layer in the middle. This is to help give the box rigidity. We only accept corrugated cardboard in its cardboard collection. This can be placed in any number of bins around campus. Just remember to break cardboard boxes down because a container’s capacity is increased tenfold when boxes are broken down.