How Do I Get Rid Of #6 Plastics (PS) – e.g., Styrofoam?

Styrofoam NEVER belongs in your recycling bin at home.

If you are willing to drop off items – Thermal Foams, Inc. will consider accepting some clean, white Expanded Polystyrene only (no food containers and no packaging peanuts). Do NOT drop off Styrofoam outside of the facility, which causes issues with litter. All drop-offs must be reported and approved in advance by calling the company at 315-699-8734 to ensure they can accept the material.

There are many types of #6 plastic. Styrofoam peanuts are one type of #6 plastic that can be reused at home for packing and storage.

All #6 plastics should go in the trash.

Styrofoam planks or “boards” are a common example of a #6 plastic. Planks of Styrofoam are a protective white foam that is often molded to fit a product during shipping, including electronics. Put planks in a trash bag, tied up and thrown in the regular trash. This items should never go in the blue bin. The same goes for other #6 plastics, including plastic cutlery or plastic straws.

OCRRA now asks residents to IGNORE NUMBERS on plastic items and only pay attention to the SHAPE of an item. Numbers are not a good indicator of recyclability as they simply indicate the TYPE of plastic an item is made from, not if it is recyclable. You can have two items made of the same number plastic, but they don’t both belong in a recycle bin. The way manufacturers form their products impacts recyclability. For example, many salad dressing bottles are made from the same number plastic as berry clamshell containers. However, only the bottle shaped item belongs in the recycling bin. Plastic clamshells are not recyclable in Onondaga County.

The ONLY plastic items that go in the recycle bin are plastic BOTTLES, JUGS, JARS and plastic stackable DAIRY TUBS (this also applies to tubs that contain dairy alternatives, such as vegan “butter,” etc.).

All other plastic items (unless they are film plastics), please place in the trash or bring to OCRRA’s Rock Cut Road Drop-Off Site for trash disposal.

Container descriptions:  Please rinse and place the following items in your recycle bin. They can also be taken to OCRRA’s Rock Cut Road Drop-Off Site for recycling.

• BOTTLE – something that has a neck and a smaller opening than base (typically has threads at the neck for a screw on cap – can be food bottles, such as ketchup, salad dressing and mustard bottles. Acceptable bottles also hold shampoo, body wash, etc.
• JAR – like bottles, these typically have threads at the neck for a screw on cap. Some examples are: jelly jar, pickle jar, tomato sauce jar, etc.
• JUG – something with a handle – like a milk jug or laundry detergent bottle,
• WIDE-MOUTH, STACKABLE DAIRY TUB – any tub that previously contained a DAIRY product like butter, yogurt, Cool Whip, cream cheese, etc. It must be able to nest inside itself. If you can’t stack one of the same item within itself, then they are not recyclable. No takeout containers or other plastic tubs that did not hold dairy or dairy alternative products.

Reattach all caps and lids, plastic or metal. Do not place them in recycling bins loose. To prevent them from “falling through the cracks” during the recycling process, follow these simple steps:

1. Remove cap.
2. Rinse bottle (do NOT crush – the 3-D nature of a bottle helps keep it separate from paper at the recycling sorting facility).
3. Replace cap.
4. Place in blue bin.

Also recyclable: office paper, mail, cardboard, newspaper, magazines, catalogs, softcover books, paperboard boxes – including cereal, pasta, and tissue boxes.

NOTE: boxes from refrigerated or freezer sections of grocery stores do not belong in a recycling bin because they have a moisture-resistant coating that renders them non-recyclable.

If you find yourself having to ask yourself too many questions when deciding if something goes in the bin vs. not, it should go in the trash to avoid contaminating the other recyclables.

When in doubt, if you can’t check it out (on our website, on Facebook, or by calling us at 315-453-2866), throw it out.

 

All other plastic items not referenced above (unless they are film plastics), should be placed in the trash or brought to OCRRA’s Rock Cut Road Drop-Off Site for trash disposal.

Container descriptions:  Please rinse and place the following items in your blue bin. They can also be taken to OCRRA’s Rock Cut Road Drop-Off Site for recycling.

• BOTTLE* – something that has a neck and a smaller opening than base (typically has threads at the neck for a screw on cap – can be food bottles such as condiment bottles or toiletry bottles like shampoo, body wash, etc.),

• JUG* – something with a handle – like a milk jug or laundry detergent bottle,

• JAR* – same as the bottle description. Some examples are: jelly jar, pickle jar, tomato sauce jar, etc.

• WIDE-MOUTH, STACKABLE DAIRY TUB – any tub that previously contained a DAIRY product like butter, yogurt, Cool Whip, cream cheese, etc. It must be able to nest inside itself though. If you can’t stack one of the same item within itself, then they are not recyclable. Lids are not recyclable on the wide-mouth, stackable dairy tubs.

*Residents can choose how they manage the PLASTIC caps to their bottles/jugs/jars. They can either be removed from the bottle and thrown in the trash, or they can go in the blue bin, but only if attached to the bottle. To prevent them from “falling through the cracks” during the recycling process, follow these simple steps:

1. Remove cap.
2. Rinse bottle (do NOT crush – the 3-D nature of a bottle helps keep it separate from paper at the recycling sorting facility).
3. Replace cap.
4. Place in blue bin.

METAL caps go in the trash. They will be recovered at the Waste-to-Energy Facility and recycled. Each year 10,000 tons of metal are recycled this way! You can watch a video about the Waste-to-Energy process here: www.ocrra.org/waste/waste-to-energy/

Cartons are also recyclable – think milk or juice cartons – cardboard, newspaper, magazines, catalogs, softcover books, paperboard boxes, such as cereal, pasta, tissue – office paper, mail and NON-frozen food boxes.

If you find yourself having to ask yourself too many questions when deciding if something goes in the bin, it should go in the trash to avoid contaminating other recyclables.

When in doubt, if you can’t check it out (on our website, on Facebook or by calling us at 315-453-2866), throw it out.