Nothing smaller than 2” x 2” should be placed in your recycling bin. But why?

Items that are smaller than 2” x 2” are too small to be sorted on the equipment at the materials recovery facility where all of the mixed recycling goes to be sorted out, baled, and sent to processors to be turned into new materials. Small items fall through the sorting equipment, get clogged in the system, and/or ends up as waste. To see more about how that equipment works, click here.

What are two of the most common small items that are mistakenly recycled?

• Prescription pill bottles- standard size prescription pill bottles are too small to be recycled, pill bottles larger than 2” x 2” can be placed in your recycling bin. Here are some ideas on ways to repurpose your pill bottles:
  • Seed storage
  • Hide-a-key container
  • Travel toiletry bottles
  • Mini first-aid kit
  • Travel jewelry holder
  • Workbench containers
  • Earbud container
  • Crafts and more
• K-cups- can’t be recycled for a couple of reasons. In addition to being too small, they are also one of those pesky products that has a combination of materials. Any time there are multiple materials sandwiched together it makes it difficult to separate these materials for recycling. If they contain coffee grounds they can make other recyclable materials, like paper and cardboard, difficult to recycle. The best alternative is to buy a refillable pod and use your own coffee grounds.