What and How to Recycle

YES - Place in recycling

  •  White, colored, and glossy paper (staples OK)
  •  Mail and envelopes (window envelopes OK)
  •  Wrapping paper (remove ribbon and tape)
  •   Smooth cardboard (food boxes - remove inside & outside plastic wrappers - shoe boxes, tubes from paper towel and toilet paper rolls, cardboard from product packaging)
  •   Paper bags
  •  Cardboard egg cartons and trays
  •  Newspapers, magazines, and catalogs
  •  Phone books, softcover books (paperbacks, comic books, etc.; no spiral bindings)
  •  Corrugated cardboard (flattened boxes)

No - Place in trash

  •  Hardcover books
  •  Napkins, paper towels, or tissues
  •  Soiled paper cups or plates
  •  Paper soiled with food or liquid
  •  Paper with a lot of tape and glue
  •  Plastic- or wax-coated paper (candy wrappers, plastic take-out containers, etc.)
  •  Photographic paper

Cynthia Braun is a certified professional organizer for Suffolk County and Nassau County, New York