Isabella County Recycling Center Acceptable Materials Information

Isabella County Recycling Logo Isabella County Recycling Center

Acceptable Materials

Click for a printable Material Guide

Click here for The Green Guide:
an alternative resource guide

Newspaper
	Recycle:	Newsprint including glossy inserts Magazines Catalogs Phonebooks, soft covered books
On average 100 pounds of newspaper is generated per person per year 28% of the fiber in newspapers is from old newspaper [back to top]

Cardboard
	Recycle: Examples:	Cardboard Boxboard Brown paper bag Cereal, crackers, pasta, toothpaste boxes, and shipping boxes
Special note: No wax coated produce boxes, pizza boxes, or refrigerated/frozen food boxes
*Recycled cardboard only takes 75% of the energy needed to make new cardboard and lessens the emission of sulfur dioxide that is produced when making pulp from trees.* *Recycling 1 ton of cardboard saves 9 cubic yards of landfill space and 46 gallons of oil.* [back to top]

Office Paper
	Recycle: Examples:	White and color paper Shredded paper Mail, office and school papers, envelopes, sticky notes, and card stock. File folders and note books.
Special note: Remove envelope windows. No need to remove tape, staples, or metal spirals.
*Each year in the U.S. we throw away enough office paper to build a wall 12 feet high from Los Angeles to New York* *Recycling 1 ton of office paper saves 17 trees and 7,000 gallons of water* [back to top]

Metals
	Recycle: Examples: Recycle: Examples:	Tin and aluminum Canned food containers, aluminum beverage cans, aluminum foil and pie plates, aerosol cans. Scrap Metal Ferrous and Non-ferrous metals including lawn furniture, hangers, pots and pans, shelving, and wire.
Special note: All scrap metal must be dropped off at the Recycling Center. Scrap metal is not recycled curbside or at the depot locations. Most appliances can be recycled (Freon must be removed). Please call prior to drop-off to ensure the item will be accepted.
*Energy saved from recycling on ton of aluminum is equal to the amount of electricity the average home uses over 10 years* *Recycling steel and tin cans saves 74% of the energy used to produce them* [back to top]

Glass
	Recycle:	Brown and clear glass bottles and jars
Special note: No need to remove labels, rinse lightly. No plate or window glass, no other colors, no Pyrex®.
*A recycled glass container can go from a recycling bin to a store shelf in as little as 30 days.* *Glass can be recycled forever and glass containers are made up of as much as 70% recycled glass.* [back to top]

Plastic
	Recycle: Examples:	Plastic bottles and jugs with a neck Soda bottles, milk and water jugs, laundry and shampoo bottles
Special note: Throw away caps, lids, pumps, and rings. Rinse lightly and flatten. No need to remove labels. No plastic bags, plastic tub (margarine and yogurt) containers, 5-gallon buckets, or oil/antifreeze bottles.
We recycle #1 and #2 plastics only. Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE #1) and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE #2) are highly recyclable and are made into fleece jackets, food containers, and plastic lumber. *Recycling 1 ton of plastic saves 160 gallons of petroleum.* [back to top]

Automotive
	Recycle:	Motor oil (25¢ per gallon) Antifreeze (25¢ per gallon) Oil filters (25¢ each) Car/truck batteries
Special note: Items can be recycled at the Recycling Center. Cannot be accepted curbside or at depot locations.
*Just 1 gallon of motor oil can contaminate 1 million gallons of freshwater.* *Oil can be reused and recycled through reconditioning, reprocessing, and re-refining.* [back to top]

Yard Waste
	Recycle:	Brush ($12 per cubic yard) Leaves and grass ($1 per 33 gallon bag)
Special note: Items can be recycled at the Recycling Center. Cannot be accepted curbside or at depot locations.
*Yard waste can be composted at home along with food scraps to produce a natural soil amendment.* *Grasscycling, leaving the clipping on the lawn, reduces the lawn’s water loss and need for fertilizer.* [back to top]

Tires
	Recycle:	Car, truck, semi, gravel, and agricultural tires
Special note: Pay applicable fee at front desk, unload material in specified area Car & light truck.........$4 off rim / $5 on rim Semi-truck..................$7 off rim / $8 on rim Gravel.......................$10 off rim / $11 on rim Agricultural................$15 off rim / $16 on rim
*Recycled tires can be used to make rubberized asphalt or maintain landscapes through erosion control.* *Tire stockpiles can contribute to the spread of disease by providing an ideal breeding environment for mosquitoes.* [back to top]

Batteries
	Recycle:	Dry cell batteries
Special note: Recycle at Recycling Center only, cannot be recycled curbside or at depot locations.
*Americans dispose of 8 batteries per person per year.* *Batteries contain heavy metals, and if disposed of improperly, can leach into the groundwater.* [back to top]

Styrofoam
	Recycle:	Foam food cups, plate, and tray Formed and molded shapes
Special note: Drop-off item only, cannot be recycled curbside. No packaging peanuts or insulation foam.
*Styrofoam is the trademark name for plastic #7 polystyrene.* *Styrofoam is 98% air.* [back to top]

Books
	Recycle:	Hard cover and soft cover books Phone books
*Try donating your used books to local organizations or trading them for other books with your friends.* [back to top]

Earth 911 (earth911.org)
Waste Age (wasteage.com)
Buy Recycled (buyrecycled.com)
Keep America Beautiful (kab.org)
US EPA (epa.gov)
Oberlin College and Conservatory (oberlin.edu)
Benefits of Recycling (benefits-of-recycling.com)

[back to top]