Shades of Green: Recycle!

What can you recycle? In general, most curbside recycling programs take newspaper and all of its inserts, corrugated cardboard, recyclable plastics numbered 1 & 2, magazines and junk mail, and aluminum cans. See the more detailed lists below for your specific area.

In general, all recyclable material must be clean. Any cardboard or paper product stained with food or grease is not recyclable (this includes pizza boxes and food containers used for microwave cooking). Items placed in a recycle bin should be secured with bungee cords; most recycling programs will not take paper products wrapped in twine, rubber bands or plastic. In most cases, the lids on plastic and cardboard gable cartons are not recyclable, so remove those before putting the items in your bin. Cardboard should be cut or folded into small pieces that do not exceed 2’ x 3’ or 3’ x 3’.

The City of Raleigh’s curbside recycling program picks up:

• newspaper and all inserts
• magazines and catalogs
• white paper, including junk mail
• corrugated cardboard pieces no larger than 3' x 3' in size
• paperboard, chipboard, and paper tubes
• food and beverage cans
• aluminum foil and trays (must be completely free of food debris)
• plastic bottles
• plastic beverage rings (soft type only, not the rigid type)
• glass food and beverage containers
• gable top cartons
• aseptic (drink) boxes

For more information or to request an additional bin, you can call Raleigh’s recycling program at 919.831.6890.

The town of Cary picks up:

• Newspaper, including inserts
• Glossy magazines/catalogs
• Glass bottles & jars (clear, brown & green)
• Plastic bottles and tubs #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
• Aluminum cans, foil, and pie pans (no food residue)
• Tin/Steel food cans
• Cartons with a gable top (including juice, milk, dairy creamers, and fabric softener refills)
• Drink boxes
• 6-pack rings (soft flimsy ones only)
• Corrugated cardboard

The town of Cary does not pick up paperboard and chipboard (cereal boxes and the like), but they can be recycled at Citizen Convenience Center at 313 N. Dixon Ave. For more information or to request a bin, contact the Town of Cary Recycling department at 919.469.4090.

Wake Forest is equipped to recycle the following:

• Newspapers and inserts
• Clean mixed paper: Magazines, junk mail, cardboard, phone books, paper egg cartons, clean pizza boxes and food boxes (example: such as those holding dry cereal or crackers).
• Clean shredded paper
• Cans: Aluminum cans, tin and steel cans (including pet food cans), clean foil and pie plates, empty aerosol cans
• Corrugated cardboard: Fold, flatten, or cut corrugated cardboard into bundles no larger than 2' x 2' x 3', tie securely and place next to your recycle cart. Packing material and badly stained cardboard are not recyclable.
• Glass food & beverage containers: Soda bottles, food jars, wine and liquor bottles.
• Plastic bottles: Narrow-necked, screw-top bottles, such as soda bottles, plastic milk and water jugs and colored bottles labeled or imprinted on the bottom of the container labeled number 1 or 2

In Wake Forest, you cannot put items labeled with the recycle label 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 (including yogurt, cottage cheese, or other wide-mouth plastic containers) in your curbside recycle bin; Wake Forest also does not pick up paperboard, chipboard or milk (or similar) cartons. These items can be taken to one of the Wake County Convenience Centers. For more information, please call 919.554.6120 or 919.554.6123.

In Wake County at-large, there are 11 convenience centers that take these recyclables:

• Aluminum & Steel Cans
• Cardboard
• Chipboard (Cereal & Snack Boxes)
• Furniture (less than 8 feet in length)
• Garbage
• Glass Bottles & Jars (Clear, Green or Brown)
• Paper (Mixed: Catalogs, Colored Paper, Junk Mail, Magazines, Newspaper, Office Paper)
• Plastic Bottles (#1-7) with a neck narrower than the base
• Scrap Metal (Bicycles, Grills, Movers, Pipes, Swing Sets, etc.)

You can find information and locations online, or call Wake County Solid Waste Management at 919.856.6186.

In Johnston County, the following items can be recycled at one of the many convenience centers:

• Glass - Bottles and jars only. Separate clear, brown, and green colors. Remove lids and rinse clean.
• Plastic - Soft drink bottles and milk jugs only. Remove lids and rinse clean.
• Aluminum - Beverage cans only. Rinse clean.
• Newspaper - Newspaper print only. Remove all strings and bags.
• Magazines - Remove all strings and bags. No phone books.
• Corrugated Cardboard

Orange County curbside and rural curbside recycling programs pick up:

• Plastic bottles (without rings and caps) numbered 1 and 2
• Aluminum and steel cans
• Aerosol cans
• Glass bottles and jars without lids
• Newspaper
• Glossy magazines and catalogs
• Phone books
• Mixed paper, including junk mail, white paper, paper bags, cereal and similar boxes, juice and milk gable-top cartons, and other single-layer cardboard (paperboard and chipboard).

Orange County does not pick up corrugated cardboard, but these can be dropped off at one of Orange County’s six 24-hour recycling drop-off sites.

Durham’s curbside recycling program picks up:

• Plastic bottles and jugs numbered 1 and 2
• Six pack rings
• Glass food and beverage containers
• Aluminum cans, foil , and pie tins
• Steel and tin cans with no lids
• Newspapers including inserts
• Magazines and catalogs
• Telephone books and small paperback books No hardcover books are acceptable.
• Cardboard that is unwaxed and uncoated
• Office paper and mixed paper, all colors.

For additional information or to request a bin, please call 919.560.1200.