What can you recycle? Recyclable items include: * Plastic containers * Cans * Paper products * Glass Consult your local recycling depot to determine what products your town’s facilities can process. Did you know . . . * An aluminum can takes 500 years to decompose. Recycling re-uses the aluminum to get cans back on the shelf of your grocery store within two months! Cans are the most recycled item in the United States. * Recycling a few days’ worth of newspapers can save over 75,000 trees. * Americans use over 2.5 million plastic bottles every 30 minutes. * Glass bottles can take over 4,000 years to decompose in the landfill. Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to power a lightbulb for 4 hours. Frequently Asked Questions How do I get recycling bins? Contact your local town hall for more information how receiving bins. Most towns will deliver recycling bins to you for free. Do I need to rinse recyclable items that have contained food? Please rinse the food out of your containers before you recycle them. The container does not need to be spotless, but removing any chunks of food makes the recycling process much more efficient and effective. Can I recycle coffee cups? Yes! Be sure to sort the lid into your plastics bin, and the cup itself into your paper bin. What about food waste? Visit www.thinkeatsave.org to learn more about how to prevent your food waste from ending up in the landfill. Why Recycle? Recycling is an easy, efficient way to reduce waste by creating new items from old materials. Reducing the amount of garbage we produce helps the earth in many ways, such as: * Conserving energy * Slowing global warming * Lowering greenhouse gas emissions * Keeping oceans clean * Minimizing landfill * Reducing the need to extract raw materials Recycling is an important way to keep our environment as healthy as possible. Visit www.recyclingtown.com for more information. Recycling: How to Reduce and Reuse