Wish-Cycling vs. Recycling

What you Need to Know

Wish-cycling is the well-intentioned but unfounded belief that something is recyclable when it is not. If you find yourself tossing any old thing in the recycling, hoping that it will end up in the right place, you could be hurting the process more than you help. When non-recyclable items find their way into equipment, they can cause a clog in the system. For example, “tanglers” like cords, ribbon and shoelaces can become stuck in machinery and force operations to shut down while workers untangle the items from the equipment.

Don’t worry; recycling the correct way is not a complicated process. Follow this handy guide from our partners at Rumpke Waste and Recycling. While the full list of acceptable materials may vary slightly in some locations, residents can typically recycle the following:

☑ GLASS BOTTLES AND JARS (all colors)

☑ METAL CANS: Aluminum cans, steel cans and lids, empty aerosol cans with the lids and tips removed

☑ PLASTIC BOTTLES (empty, crush, reattach lid): Bottles and jugs that have a small mouth and wider base, such as milk jugs, and bottles for soda, water, detergent, etc.

☑ PLASTIC TUBS: Containers for butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, Jell-O and fruit slices. Lids should be reattached prior to recycling.

☑ PLASTIC CUPS (remove/discard straw, reattach lid): Fast-food beverage cups

☑ PAPER: Newspapers, magazines, cardboard, mixed-office paper and envelopes, paperboard (cereal boxes), pizza boxes free of food debris and grease, telephone books and catalogs

☑ PAPER CUPS (remove/discard lids, straws and stoppers): Fast-food beverage cups, coffee cups

☑ CARTONS: Food and beverage cartons, such as milk, juice, soup, wine, broth and other cartons

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE NOT RECYCLABLE:

Plastic bags, cassette tapes, bed sheets, hangers, metal chains, garden hoses, batteries*, needles, syringes, electronics*, polystyrene foam, buckets, car parts, food, yard waste, light bulbs*, drinking glasses, ceramics, pots, pans and scrap metal.

Want to learn more? Visit www.westerville.org/recycling

*The City offers specialized drop-off recycling and disposal opportunities. Visit www.westerville.org/zerowaste for program links.

Tips for Recycling Success from Rumpke

• Mix all items together–no separation required

• Empty all bottles, jugs and cans

• No need to remove labels

• Empty, crush and reattach lids to plastic bottles

• Remove plastic caps and straws from cartons

• NEVER place medical sharps or needles in recycling

• Do not recycle plastic bags in residential containers. Check your local grocery store for bag recycling availability.

2022 SUSTAINABILITY by the Numbers

4,232 lbs (as of mid-Jan ‘23) of HOLIDAY LIGHT RECYCLING

8,166 lbs of BATTERIES

2,631 lbs of LIGHT BULBS

20,000+ lbs of SCRAP METAL & OTHER RECYCLABLES

84,664 lbs of HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION

116,200 lbs Food Waste

42,200 lbs of Pumpkin

158,400 lbs of Composting Food Waste

278,093 TOTAL WEIGHT DIVERTED FROM LANDFILL