Let's Talk Contamination
Recycling works best when everyone does their part to keep the bins clean. Unfortunately, one of the biggest challenges recycling centers face is contamination — when items that don’t belong end up in the bins.
A common culprit? Food and liquids.
Take milk, ice cream, or other dairy products as an example. When they are tossed into the recycling bin — even a small amount left inside a container — it doesn’t just sit there quietly. It spoils. It leaks. It seeps into paper and cardboard, and before long, the result is something that looks (and smells) like curdled milk, cottage cheese, or spoiled ice cream.
When this happens, all the clean recyclables nearby are ruined. Instead of being turned into new cardboard boxes or paper products, that entire batch has to be thrown away. What could have been recycled gets wasted, and the time, energy, and effort that went into collecting it is lost.
Sometimes it looks like other recyclable materials placed in a bin it does not belong in. When this happens it causes increased sorting time, less productivity, which costs more. As a non-profit that is nearly all grant funded, we try our best to be good stewards of the funds we receive. By making sure things are placed in the correct bins you can help us even more.
Why contamination matters:
Loss of recyclable material: One container of spoiled milk can destroy pounds of cardboard.
Increased costs: Sorting and disposal become more expensive when bins are contaminated.
Health and safety risks: Spoiled food attracts pests and creates unsafe working conditions for employees.
How you can help:
Empty and rinse containers before recycling.
Keep food, liquids, and grease out of bins.
When in doubt, throw it out. A single item in the trash is better than an entire bin wasted.
Recycling is a team effort, and every clean can, jar, and box makes a difference. By keeping food and liquids out of the bins, you help ensure more of our community’s recyclables can be processed into something new.
These are pictures of some of the contamination we have had in our bins in 2025. These are not pictures of all of the contamination we have dealt with.