Plastic recycling

You can recycle plastic bottles, jars, tubs, buckets and nursery pots at home.

These items are OK in your recycling container – rinse thoroughly

Plastic bottles, jugs and jars 6 ounces or larger, any container with a threaded neck (for a screw-on lid) or neck narrower than the base. This includes milk jugs, peanut butter jars and bottles from grooming and cleaning products (shampoo, laundry soap, etc.).
Plastic tubs 6 ounces or larger, usually round with a wider rim than base and contain products such as salsa, margarine, cottage cheese, hummus, etc.
Planting/nursery pots larger than 4 inches in diameter and made of rigid (rather than crinkly or flexible) plastic.
Buckets 5 gallons or smaller. Handles are OK.

Plastic bags. They are recyclable, but not at the curb. Plastic bags are a serious problem for recycling facilities. They get caught in machinery, which causes staff to shut down sorting lines several times a day to cut the bags out of the equipment. Take plastic bags back to stores or drop them off at recycling depots where they are collected separately from other plastics.
Bottles that have contained hazardous materials such as motor oil, pesticides, herbicides. Bottles that have contained cleaning products are OK.
Lids. They are too small or too flat to be sorted out of commingled recyclables and usually end up at paper mills where they contaminate the paper. They are recyclable, but not at the curb.
Trays from microwaveable meals, deli products, prepackaged meals and snacks. Take-out, deli or other food containers that are not specifically tubs, including clamshell-type containers, boxes, bowls, etc.
Styrofoam or other foam products (cups, meat trays, egg cartons, packaging foam, packing peanuts, etc.).
Plastic or plastic-coated beverage cups, lids or straws.
Plastic packaging that doesn't conform to the bottle, jar, bucket or tub shapes, such as blister packaging, clamshell or film (stretch or shrink wrap, bubble wrap and bags), or containers smaller than 6 ounces.

Some plastic materials that can't be recycled at home can be dropped off for recycling at some recycling businesses in the region.