Trophy Club, TX (April 21, 2021) – Local governments across nation are teaming up to improve recycling efforts in the region. Recycling rules vary by jurisdiction based on collection and processing capabilities so please check with your local recycling service provider to ensure you are recycling correctly and helping our region avoid the common challenge of contamination - attempting to recycle soiled items or materials our program doesn’t accept.
Remember to keep your recyclables clean, dry, and un-bagged when depositing them into recycling carts or local drop-off centers. Bagged recyclables aren’t recycled because they can’t be sorted by the recycling equipment.
Utilizing reusable bags is more eco-friendly than getting single-use plastic bags when shopping. Plastic bags can only be recycled at participating retailers. If you can’t return bags to store locations, check to see if it’s okay to throw them away in the garbage as many use Waste-to-Energy facilities for trash disposal – turning garbage into renewable electricity.
When it comes to recycling at home, everyone has a part to play. Beginning with the way you sort materials, and ending with Republic Services’ efficient recycling pickup, they make sure Trophy Clubs’ recyclables are handled properly for a cleaner environment.
When in Doubt, Check this Out
Follow these simple guidelines to become a better recycler. Working together, we can make sure recyclable materials don’t end up in our lakes and landfills
- Know what to throw - Make sure you’re putting the right materials in your recycling container—paper, cardboard, metal cans, plastic bottles and jugs. If you are unsure about whether an item is recyclable, visit our recycling webpage here to verify if it can be recycled in our Republic Services program. Remember “when in doubt, throw it out” as local recycling programs are designed to recover typical household plastic, glass and metal containers, and dry paper and cardboard. Not all plastics and metals can be recycled.
- Empty. Clean. Dry. - Keep all recyclables free of food and liquid. One dirty item can contaminate an entire truckload, so make sure recyclables are empty, clean and dry. Unrinsed food containers or soiled paper can’t be recovered and contaminate the other clean, quality recyclables. Items, such as electronics or clothing, also can’t be recovered in single-stream residential drop-off or curbside collection programs, but may be recyclable at specific locations and other collection programs within the region.
- Don’t bag it - Never bag or bundle your recyclables. Items should be placed in the container loose. Contamination happens when residents attempt to recycle items that can’t be recovered in our single-stream residential recycling program. Items such as plastic bags, cords, wires, tarps, and hoses jam and damage sorting equipment. Trash these tanglers to help us keep our recycling equipment working to recycle items that we can successfully recover.
Contamination increases recycling costs and degrades the quality of materials, reducing the ability of the materials to be recycled. Help contribute to the success of our recycling program by reviewing what can and cannot be recycled by visiting the Republic Services recycling webpage.