Many of us have been guilty of "wish-cycling" — tossing just about every piece of paper, plastic, metal, or glass in the blue bin because it should be recyclable. Unfortunately, recycling is more complicated than that.
What belongs in curbside recycling bins varies widely in the US. "There are literally thousands of recycling standards across the country," Rajesh Buch, a professor at Arizona State University's Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation, told Business Insider.
That's, in part, because recycling systems that can sort through piles of discarded items can cost tens of millions of dollars. "In most communities," he said, "they don't have the resources to have these fully loaded, full-capacity systems."
Conflicting standards can be confusing, but dumping every container or scrap can contaminate the waste stream, Buch said. One estimate puts recycling's contamination rate at 17%.
Therefore, it's necessary to check with your municipality to see the types of recyclables it's equipped to handle. Earth911 has a recycling locator that can help you find where to dispose of certain recyclables, or you can pay a company like TerraCycle to do the work for you.
That said, there are some items that almost always need to go in the garbage or a special recycling facility.