Recycling is Real – Building Smart Community Habits

October Spotlight: Recycling is Real & Working for Our Communities

Recycling isn’t a mystery—it is a proven manufacturing supply chain. Materials placed in your recycling cart are collected, sorted, baled, and shipped directly to manufacturers to be turned into everyday items like cardboard boxes, beverage cans, and even plastic paint containers.

Three Easy Rules to Keep Recycling Real:

  • Focus on the Core Four: Stick to the proven basics—clean cardboard/paper, aluminum and steel cans, and plastic bottles, tubs, and jugs. Keeping it simple keeps the material stream valuable and marketable.
  • Clean and Dry, Loose in the Cart: Make sure containers are empty and dry before tossing them in. Never bag your recyclables—plastic trash bags wrap around sorting screens and slow down the entire system.
  • Fall Seasonal Tip: With autumn here, remember that leaves, yard debris, and carved jack-o’-lanterns belong in compost or designated yard waste collections, never inside single-stream recycling carts.

The Core Goal

Every clean can, bottle, and box diverted from the landfill strengthens our circular economy and keeps our community sustainable for generations to come.

Learn more about what happens to your recyclables and explore local guidelines at wm.com/RecycleRight.