Recycling guide: what you can and can’t recycle

Recycling is picked up weekly with your other waste. Use your blue cart for your recyclables.

Free, unlimited recycling

If you have more recycling than fits in your cart, you can still get rid of it for free.

If you regularly exceed what fits in your cart, you can get another one. Call (800) 320-8077 to request a second cart.

If your need is one-time or occasional, just bag up the extra recycling and place it next to your recycling cart. Call (800) 320-8077 and let Republic Services know before your collection day.

What’s allowed

Use the RE:Source Piedmont curbside waste guide to find out what items to put in each cart.

Here’s a quick guide of what you can put in your blue recycling cart:

Paper

Paper items need to be clean and free of food. If they are stained with grease or food oils, put them in your green cart.

  • Cardboard (including egg cartons)
  • Catalogs, magazines, and junk mail
  • Cereal boxes
  • Envelopes
  • White, colored, or computer paper
  • Newspaper
  • Paperback books
  • Phonebooks

Plastics

Containers need to be reasonably clean.

  • #1 - #7 plastic beverage and food containers
  • Rigid plastic containers
  • Bags and film/wrap (bagged and tightly wrapped)
  • Bottles (juice, milk, soda, water) with caps attached
  • If smaller than a pill bottle, it’s not recyclable (use landfill instead)

Metals

  • Cans
  • Foil
  • Roasting pans (fold and flatten)
  • Small pieces of metal

Glass

  • Bottles
  • Jars

Aseptic pouches and containers

  • Juice boxes

Polystyrene and styrofoam

  • Blocks
  • Sheets
  • Packing peanuts
  • Egg cartons

Batteries

Put household batteries in a sealed plastic bag and place them on top of your blue recycling cart on collection day. You can also drop them off at the Piedmont Fire Station.

What’s not allowed

If you have items that are not accepted, use the RE:Source “What do I do with…” search tool to find out how to get rid of them.

Here’s a list of common items not allowed in your blue cart:

  • Appliances
  • Ashes of any kind
  • Bottle caps
  • Cable
  • Ceramics, pyrex, stemware
  • Clothing
  • Christmas lights
  • Concrete
  • Dirt
  • Drinking glasses
  • Food products
  • Food contaminated paper products(like pizza boxes)
  • Garden hoses
  • Mirrors
  • Napkins
  • Painted wood
  • Paper plates (used)
  • Paper towels
  • Plastic bags (loose)
  • Rocks
  • Snack wrappers
  • Sod
  • Straws
  • Styrofoam
  • Tissues
  • Treated wood
  • Video/audio tapes
  • Window glass
  • Hazardous or toxic materials