Does your family recycle? When you Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, you know that you are doing your part to help keep our planet cleaner and greener.  

AIMING FOR ZERO WASTE!

The City of Phoenix has a goal to reach zero waste by the year 2050. To reach that ambitious goal means revving up all three Rs—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! The Zero Waste team aims to educate the public and EMPHASIZE that sustainable efforts must include all three Rs: reducing consumption, reusing what you can and then recycling the rest.

Kaysey England, a Zero Waste Specialist with the City of Phoenix, explains that the program is “trying to reach as many people as possible…with our outreach.” That outreach includes educational presentations by the Zero Waste team, classroom worksheets, coloring sheets, games, virtual and IRL tours of the Phoenix Materials Recovery Facility, and tips on how to live a Zero Waste lifestyle. 

The Zero Waste and Recycle+ website offers tips to reduce food waste, dispel myths about recycling, and share ways that you can recycle items that do not belong in the blue recycling bin. For example, when it comes to the blue bin, plastic bags are a big no-no! These bags and other soft plastics can jam the automated machines used to sort recyclable materials. When the automation is jammed, the whole process comes to a standstill.

Never bag your recyclables! So what can you do with plastic bags and soft plastics? Many grocery stores have soft plastic collection bins. To find a list of soft plastics drop-off locations, visit phoenix.gov/recycle. This website is also where you can view the virtual recycling facility tour. Or learn how to schedule a live facility tour or arrange a Zero Waste presentation. Presentations are offered to schools, community groups and businesses.

RECYCLE, COMPOST, OR BIN IT?

Do you ever wonder what can go into your recycling bin, what should go in the trash, or if there is somewhere else discarded items can go? The Recycle Right Wizard can help! Visit phoenix.gov/recycle and select your city under the Recycle Right Wizard heading and search for the item in question. The Wizard will let you know if you should head to the recycling bin, the trash bin, the compost pile or another collection location.

Different cities have different guidelines for what can go in the recycling bin. That’s why it is important to check your local guidelines or use the Recycle Right Wizard. But there are some general rules of thumb that almost always apply.

NEVER put into Recycling bin:

• Food waste

• Yard trimmings & debris 

• Plastic bags

• Paper towels & napkins

DO Recycle:

• Cardboard (break it down, please)

• Plastic bottles with caps

• Paper & newspaper

When it comes to recyclables, they must be free of food and grease. Containers should be empty, clean and dry before you place them into the recycle bin. Food scraps should never be placed in the recycle bin! Food causes CONTAMINATION.

But a bottle or jar “doesn’t have to be spotless,” notes Zero Waste Specialist England. Just a quick rinse and airing should be sufficient for most recyclables, he explains.

Pizza boxes can be recycled if they are clean. That may mean separating the clean top (recycle bin) from the greasy bottom (trash or compost). Cups or containers made of compostable plastic should not go into the recycling bin and styrofoam does not go into your recycling.

You should recycle plastic bottles with the caps left on, but glass bottles and jars should have the lids removed. Some cities no longer accept glass for recycling, so check with your collection service or use the Recycle Right Wizard to know where to throw! 

MESA RECYCLING GETS A BOOST

The City of Mesa was awarded a grant in March to expand recycling in the downtown area. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) awarded $1 million in Recycling Grants to a dozen organizations. 

Mesa plans to use its $135,500 grant to expand recycling in public spaces, government buildings and multi-dwelling residences. It will add recycling to the Mesa Convention Center and the Mesa Amphitheater and put recycling containers in high-traffic pedestrian areas.

Another ADEQ 2024 Recycling Grant awardee, Arizona Students Recycling Used Technology (AZ StRUT), plans to implement electronics recycling in Apache, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz and Santa Cruz counties. AZ StRUT keeps materials out of the landfills by refurbishing, reusing and recycling the electronics it collects.

WHERE DOES IT GO?

Recycle Bin: plastic bottles, metal and aluminum cans, newspaper

Compost or Trash bin: food scraps, yard trimmings, napkins, compostable plastic

Trash: styrofoam, diapers

Check local recycling guidelines: glass jars, plastic clamshells, takeout containers, juice boxes