Materials Cheat Sheet
Food
- Compostable food waste
- Food donations
Glass
- Bottles (any color)
- Jars
Ferrous Metals
- Mild Steel
- Carbon Steel
- Stainless Steel
- Cast Iron
- Wrought Iron
Non-Ferrous Metals
- Aluminum
- Copper
- Brass
- Silver
- Lead
- Misc. Scrap Metals
All Other Paper
- Office paper
- Paperboard
- Newspapers
- Folders
- Telephone Books
- Magazines
- Catalogs
- Junk Mail
Plastics
- Plastics #1-7
- Plastics Bottles
- Plastics Jugs
- Shrink Wrap
- Plastics Films
- Coat Hangers
Textiles
- Fabrics
- Clothes
- Carpet
Wood
- Bark
- Woodchips
- Sawdust
- Scrap Wood
- Shipping Pallets
- Boards
Commingled Recyclables
- This is a mix of several different materials that are placed into one container and hauled for recycling. It can include all or a combination of the materials listed above.
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Examples of materials that fall under “Other”
- Appliances
- Electronics
- Non-hazardous chemical (solids only)
- Stone/Clay/Sand
- Yard Waste
- Sludge
- Tires
- Any other solid waste that is recycled at your facility
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Estimating recycling tonnages
If you are not able to obtain exact tonnages of materials recycled, there are numerous ways to estimate the amount of material recycled in any given year. Below are some common conversion factors that may assist you with your estimations:
Material Type Density (lb/cu yd)
Mixed Paper Recycling 484
Bottles and Cans 200
Single Stream Recycling 139
Cardboard 100
- (size of container (in cubic yards) x number of collections per month x 12) x density (see table above) = Total pounds per year
- 2,000 pounds = 1 ton
For more assistance, contact your solid waste management district.