Keep a lid on it
Plastic lids larger than 3 inches are OK to recycle, but any smaller than that falls through the rolling bars of the machine to the floor and ends up at a landfill. If it’s less than 3 inches, don’t put it in the bin. Same goes for metal lids on cans — leave them attached or put them inside the can. Trim puts her lids in a can and crushes it to make sure there are no loose lids. You do not need to remove labels from cans.
Paper and cardboard rules
Paper is very recyclable. It’s often made into cardboard boxes and more paper, but there are some exceptions among paperboard and corrugated boxes. Waxed cardboard, like produce boxes, goes in the garbage. Cardboard with grease or oil stains, like pizza boxes, goes in the food and yard waste cart. So does cardboard that is mostly wet. Milk cartons, however, are recyclable. Trim says the paper in between the plastic layers is high-quality with the highest fiber.
Flatten those cardboard boxes, but don’t worry if they don’t fit in your cart. More is OK. There is no charge for extra recycling in Seattle. Go ahead and put them out next to your bin.
Yes, you should still recycle glass
Some residents grew concerned when Georgetown’s Ardagh Glass Packaging plant closed in December 2024, since the plant was Seattle’s main glass buyer, but you can continue to recycle as usual. SPU is still collecting glass bottles and jars larger than 3 inches with recycling. The SPU website says it is working with regional partners to support and restore local recycling operations and markets, and emphasizes that empty, clean and dry recyclables prevent contamination and increase the quality and value of recyclable materials.
Glass is basically sand, Trim says, and very valuable as a recyclable. “It can be made into insulation and roadbed and new bottles,” she says. Just be sure to remove metal lids.
Regarding plastics
“People think plastics are just a lost cause and they’re not,” Trim says. PET soda bottles are being recycled back into bottles and into carpet and textiles. Thick plastic milk jugs and laundry detergent containers are the next most recyclable plastic. “If people can clean them out and put them in the recycling bin, that’s really helpful,” Trim says.
More local options
Turk-Polifko says there are many more local recycling options outside of city services that complement what can be recycled in your home bin.
“In Seattle, we have a wealth of groups approaching recycling in creative and vastly different ways, from Ridwell helping to close the loop on household basics to Seattle ReCreative finding a use for even the most obscure craft good from your Grandma’s basement!” Turk-Polifko says.
She encourages people to look to neighborhood businesses for alternative recycling options.
“I’ve been so inspired to see small business step up to offer recycling solutions in the categories they carry,” she says. “In West Seattle alone, I know plenty of small businesses that have stepped up to help their customers reduce their impact.”
For example, she notes that Opal Nail Studio takes nail polish bottles for recycling and West Seattle Vision is one of many eye doctors to offer recycling for contact lens blister packs. PUBLIC offers recycling for a category that isn’t commonly curbside recyclable: beauty packaging that is too small or too complex to be successfully recycled by the city. Shoppers can just drop it off in the bin.
“It never hurts to ask a business if their packaging can be returned or if they have an end-of-life solution,” Turk-Polifko says. “If they don’t, maybe you will inspire them to provide or research a solution.”
Don’t stop there
Turk-Polifko loves recycling as a step in the circular economy, but we shouldn’t stop there.
“You can reduce your waste footprint even more by reusing before recycling. Use a takeout container again to bring your lunch to work. Use your egg cartons as seed starters or refill your shampoo bottle,” she recommends.
Small changes add up over time, and collectively.