Accepted Items

Find out how to prepare and where to bring your recyclables in the tabs below.

All items must be clean & dry, separated by type, and must not be placed in bags of any kind. All of our locations accept the same set of standard materials.

South Walnut is able to accept several additional material types and is home to the Hazardous Household Waste (HHW) facility.

For materials not accepted at our facilities, check the 'Not Accepted' tab to find out what they are and where else they can be recycled.

If you have any questions or are unable to find a particular item, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Accepted at All Locations
South Walnut Additional Items
Not Accepted

Accepted Materials at All Locations

Click on any material type image for specific examples of items that are accepted and unaccepted.

Plastic:

• Must be clean, rigid, and marked “1” ♳ through “7.” ♹
• Food containers must be rinsed, dried, and free of residue.
• Reattach clean and dry caps and lids.
• Items should be loose so they can be mechanically sorted by type.

  • • Soda, water, and similar bottles
    • Milk & Fruit juice jugs
    • Yogurt-type tubs
    • Hinged grocery or to-go containers
    • Deli-type round containers and lids
    • Most grocery food bottles & jars
    • (condiments, dressings, nut butter, etc)
    • Solo-type cups (colored and clear)
    • Laundry detergent containers

  • • Styrofoam
    • Any Plastic films (Grocery bags, bread bags, cling wrap vacuum-seal packs, zip-loc bags, inflated shipping pillows)
    • Dirty food packaging
    • Auto Fluid containers
    • Unmarked plastic types
    • Chip Bags
    • Candy / energy bar wrappers

 

Accepted plastic recyclables must have one of these symbols!

 

Paper

• Must be dry, and free of grease or oils.
• All paper types can be mixed

  • • Office/printer paper

    • Newspapers

    • Magazines

    • Mail, (envelopes with plastic windows are OK)

  • • Wax paper

    • Parchment paper

    • Photo Paper

    • Tissues (facial or bath)

    • Bound Books (South Walnut Only)

Cardboard & Paperboard

• Must be dry, and free of grease or oils.
• Remove all staples, plastic, and or plastic/Styrofoam packing.
• Flatten any cardboard boxes by unfolding (not crushing).

  • • Cardboard boxes & packaging (tape & labels are OK)

    • Breakfast cereal type food boxes

    • Cardboard tubes from empty paper rolls

  • • Greasy Pizza Boxes (clean tops are OK)

    • Food/drink cartons (like water, soup, broth, and juice boxes)

    • Restaurant carryout boxes

Glass:

• Bottles and jars of all colors (clear, brown, blue, and green).
• Must be empty, clean, and dry.
• Remove lids/caps and sort separately.
• Labels are OK.

  • • All beverage bottles

    • Grocery store containers (like olive oil, vinegar, mayonnaise, etc.)

    • Mason Jars

  • • Any “tempered" glass (Dishes or Cook wear, Table tops, Storm Doors, Automotive glass)

    • Decorations or Vases

    • Mirrors

Metal:

• All varieties of metal are accepted and can be mixed.
• Food containers must be rinsed, dried, and free of residue.
• Scrap items must be fully drained of fluids and not attached to other materials, though some non-metal materials can be permitted.
• Ask staff for details.

Items containing Freon must be brought to the South Walnut location.

Aerosol & fuel tanks are accepted at South Walnut only.

  • • Soda Pop & Beer cans

    • Grocery Cans like soups & vegetables

    • Clean Aluminum foil

    • Foil baking pans

    • Steel, iron, aluminum, and copper scrap

    • Appliances (dishwashers, dryers, Stoves, Microwaves, etc.)

    • Grills (no tanks, cleaned & free of coal, ash, and stone)

    • Tire rims (no tires)

    • Used Steel cookware (pots, pans, sheets)

    • Some items with non-metal material attached (check with staff)

  • • Some items with non-metal material attached (check with staff)

    • Aerosol Cans (South Walnut Only)

    • Propane or other Fuel tanks (South Walnut Only)

    • Freon Appliances (Refrigerators, Freezers, Air Conditioners, Dehumidifiers) (South Walnut Only)

Electronics:

• All items with a battery or power cord, and WITHOUT a screen.

Items that contain a SCREEN must be brought to the South Walnut location, and require a per-item processing fee of $20 for safe disposal.

  • • Desktop computers

    • Broken vacuums, toasters, and small appliances

  • • Televisions, monitors, and mobile devices (South Walnut Only)

Food Waste:

While food may not be the type of recycling that you normally think of, it is just as easy and possibly even more important.

EarthKeepers Compost provides a simple, low-cost drop-off service at all district locations for all organic food waste. Check out their List of Accepted Materials, and service details to learn more about how to get started.

Limited HHW:

There are a few items that are classified as hazardous but are permitted to be collected at all of our locations.

The rest of the Household Hazardous Waste materials are accepted only at the South Walnut location.

  • • Batteries

    • Used motor oil and filters

    • Used antifreee

  • • All other HHW items (South Walnut Only)

For additional handling details, read more about each item on the Household Hazardous Waste page.

Re-Use:

Don’t forget that you may not even need to recycle some things, and you can even pick up other things from other county residents for free!

Read more about our Trading Posts, and other reuse options on the Reuse page.

Trash:

If it cannot be reused or recycled, check out the Bulky-item disposal and Orange Bag programs on the Trash/Waste page.

 South Walnut Special Accepted Materials

The South Walnut location accepts all of the same materials as the other Recycling Centers, and also provides these additional options.
Click on any of the categories below to learn more.

  • Chemicals that can catch fire, react, or explode, or that are corrosive or toxic are categorized as “household hazardous waste”. Products, such as paints, stains, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides contain hazardous ingredients and require special care when being disposed of.

    For the full list of items and how to handle them, check out our designated Household Hazardous Waste page.

  • "Freon" is the refrigerant chemical that is used in all modern appliances that provide cooling. It is highly toxic to human health, was responsible for creating the hole in the ozone, and is among the most potent of all greenhouse gasses. The district collects these appliances and requires a fee of $20 per item so that the freon can be safely recovered and the unit can be recycled.

    Accepted Freon Appliances:

    • Refrigerators

    • Freezers

    • Air Conditioners

    • Dehumidifers

  • All types of video displays contain high amounts of hazardous chemicals and require extra measures to dispose of or recycle safely. As a result, we can only accept them at the South Walnut location and require a fee of $20 per item for screens 7 inches and larger to cover the cost of the additional processing. While that may sound like a lot, keep in mind that this process is important enough to be required by the EPA and that the only retail stores that accept screens also charge higher fees.

    Accepted Electronics:

    • Televisions (Tube, LED, & Plasma)

    • Computer Monitors (Tube & LED)

    • Smartphones

    • Tablets & Mobile Devices

  • The district is able to put packing peanuts back into use by distributing them to industry partners. Presently there is no local market for Styrofoam blocks or food containers so we cannot accept them.

    See the ‘Not Accepted’ section for more information.

    Accepted Styrofoam:

    • Styrofoam Peanuts in Boxes or Bags

    Not-Accepted Styrofoam:

    • Styrofoam blocks

    • Styrofoam cups or to-go containers

  • Bound books (paperback & hardcover) cannot be recycled through the standard paper/cardboard collection. Instead, bring them to South Walnut and ask a staff member to direct you to the Book recycling receptacle.

    Don’t forget that used books in good condition can be donated.

    Accepted Books:

    • Hardcover books

    • Paperback books

  • All of these items are accepted at the South Walnut Hazardous Household Waste facility, even if they don’t necessarily seem hazardous. Be sure to visit the HHW page if you have not found a particular item that you are looking for.

 Materials Not Accepted by the District:

There are a few types of materials that we are unable to accept or process at our facilities, but this does not necessarily mean that they are not recyclable. Learn more about each material by clicking on the name in the list below.

  • This category contains a huge number of commonly used items:

    • Plastic grocery/shopping bags

    • Amazon plastic shipping sleeves

    • Bread bags

    • Bubble wrap and air pillows

    • Ziploc bags

    • Wrap on paper products such as paper towel, bath tissue, napkins, etc

    • Cereal box-type liners

    … and many more.

    Fortunately, this material is still perfectly recyclable. Visit plasticfilmrecycling.org to learn what you can recycle and where, and download a printable summary in the 'District’s Responsible Waste Sorting Guide.

  • What looks like a glossy-paper carton to hold water, soup, broth, and juice, is actually a many-layer combination of paper, plastic, and aluminum. While each of these materials is recyclable by themselves, this bonded combination requires special equipment and methods to separate, so it is only possible where designated facilities exist.

    https://www.recyclecartons.com maintains an up-to-date record of facilities in the US and provides mail-in options to send cartons to the nearest location.

  • Styrofoam, (Expanded/Extruded polystyrene) is another material found in many foods and packaging applications, such as:

    • Gas station soda/coffee cups New merchandise packaging

    • Restaurant to-go containers Shipping fill material

    • Disposable plates and bowls

    It is another fully recyclable material but currently, there is only a local market for the reuse of packaging peanuts. The lack of a market for other types prevents it from being a viable material to recycle. The site homeforfoam.com maintains a searchable map of registered drop-off and curbside pickup locations around the country.

  • While the District itself does not process yard waste, it is a valuable resource and can be processed by one of the following local organizations who do:

    • Good Earth Compost - 650 Empire Mill Road, Bloomington - 812.824.7928

    • Green Earth - 7333 W. Gifford Road, Bloomington - 812.325.7428

    • Fable Farms - 5285 E. St. Rd. 45 - 812.650.2799 - (Call first, drop-off by appointment only)