Recycle Right: Why Does It Matter in a Shared Community?
A few simple habits make a big difference, especially when we all share the same dumpsters. At our Pros PM multi-family communities, everyone shares the trash and recycling containers. We want our residents to feel empowered to recycle. Recycling helps reduce waste, conserve resources, and keep our communities cleaner, but only when the right items go in the right bin. Contaminated recycling quickly results in rejected loads, overflowing containers, and additional fees from the waste provider.
The good news? Avoiding those problems is pretty simple.
Yes — Recycle These
Place approved recyclables loose in the recycling bin:
Aluminum and metal cans — empty and lightly rinse
Food and beverage cartons — empty, rinsed, and replace caps
Glass bottles and jars — empty and rinse
Mixed paper, newspapers, and magazines
Cardboard boxes — flatten before recycling
Kitchen, laundry, and bathroom bottles and containers — empty and replace caps
Always check the signage at your property, as accepted materials may vary depending on the local recycling provider.
No — Keep These Out
Please do not place these items in recycling bins:
Plastic bags
Garbage or household trash
Food or liquids
Clothing or linens
Hoses, wires, chains, cords, or other “tanglers”
Electronics
Batteries
Paint, chemicals, or other hazardous materials
Diapers or Styrofoam
These items can contaminate otherwise recyclable materials, damage sorting equipment, or even make an entire load of recycling unusable.
Break Down Your Boxes
We’ve all seen what happens when one giant box takes up half the recycling dumpster.
Always flatten cardboard boxes before putting them into the recycling container. Breaking down boxes leaves more room for everyone and helps prevent containers from overflowing.
Please don’t leave boxes, or any other trash or recycling, next to or on top of the dumpsters.
Keep Recyclables Loose
Do not bag your recyclables.
Plastic bags can interfere with recycling equipment, so approved recyclable items should be placed directly into the recycling container.
Bagged household garbage belongs in the regular trash dumpster.
Empty. Rinse. Recycle.
Containers should be empty of food and liquid before they’re recycled.
They don’t need a trip through the dishwasher! A quick rinse is usually all that’s needed to help prevent odors, pests, and contamination.
Why Does Recycling Contamination Matter?
Because we share our recycling containers, contamination doesn’t just affect the person who put the wrong item in the bin.
Waste and recycling providers will charge the property additional fees when recycling is contaminated, or items are disposed of improperly. In some cases, contaminated loads may have to be handled as regular trash instead.
We want to avoid those costs altogether.
If a contamination or improper-disposal fee is assessed to the property and we’re able to identify the household responsible, that charge may be passed along to the responsible resident.
Our goal isn’t to charge residents additional fees. We’d much rather prevent them by making sure everyone knows how to use our shared trash and recycling areas correctly.
Special Items Need Special Disposal
Batteries, electronics, paint, chemicals, and other hazardous materials do not belong in regular trash or recycling containers.
These items require special disposal and should be taken to an appropriate collection or disposal location according to local requirements.
When in Doubt, Keep It Out
Wish-cycling, a.k.a. tossing something into recycling and hoping it can be recycled, can actually do more harm than good.
If you’re unsure whether an item belongs in your community’s recycling container, check the posted signage. When in doubt, keep it out of the recycling.
And remember the basics:
Empty it. Rinse it. Flatten it. Keep it loose.
A little effort from each household helps keep our shared dumpsters cleaner, prevents unnecessary costs, and makes recycling work better for the entire community.
Thank you for doing your part to keep your Pros PM community clean!
