Recycling Tips

All recyclable materials collected in Haywood County are taken to Sonoco Recycling in Candler  and Curbside Management of Asheville for sorting.  Here are some tips to improve our collections and keep our materials moving.  The cleaner they are, the less chance of them ending up in the landfill as a contaminant.  Accepted-All-Together-Social-Media-Posts1

  • Please leave non-recyclables out of recycling containers. Workers will not sort through the entire waste stream. Please educate yourself about what is and is not recyclable and only put recyclable materials in the recycling containers.
  • Please rinse all containers carefully. Bottles, jars and cans need to be free of all food waste and as clean as possible. The cleaner materials are, the less chance they are going to be rejected from the re-processors. 
  • Lids from steel and tin cans are recyclable. In fact, approximately 15% of the can’s weight is in the lid. When recycling steel or tin cans, please rinse and place the can lid inside the can.
  • Leave your lids on plastic bottles, this ensures they will get to the right place in the processing facility. Remove lids from tubs and glass bottles and jars and put in the trash as they tend to end up in the wrong place and become a contaminant. 
  • It is not necessary to remove the labels from bottles, cans or jars. Labels are removed during the re-manufacturing process.

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  • Paper products are recyclable, but soiled paper products are not. Used paper towels, paper plates, napkins, etc. are considered contaminated and cannot be accepted for reprocessing.
  • Please do not bundle or tie newspapers.
  • When recycling aluminum and steel cans, please do not place cans inside each other. Steel and aluminum cans must be separated because they are sold to different buyers. If they are crushed inside each other, they are very difficult to separate.

New-Know-Your-No-s-Styrofoam

  • Styrofoam products are not accepted for recycling, and should be discarded with regular waste.
  • Please place recyclables loose in the recycling containers at convenience centers.

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  • Glass: Clear, Brown and Green glass is  accepted with your single stream materials. The only glass that is accepted is glass that has been previously used as a food or beverage container. We will not accept any other type of glass such as windows, light bulbs or glass used in cooking.

Visit Curbside Managements website at curbie.com for a more comprehensive look at how our items are recycled.