10 Items That Usually Not Recyclable

Recycling is a vital step in reducing plastic in our environment and creating a sustainable future. However, not all plastic is recyclable!

Fun Fact: According to National Geographic, small-sized plastics (roughly 3 inches or smaller) are not recyclable. Items such as plastic bags, straws, and coffee cups often end up being treated as trash in most recycling facilities.

There are 2 types of plastics: Thermoset and Thermoplastics. Thermosets typically cannot be recycled because they harden as you heat them, meaning that no matter how much heat you apply, they cannot be remelted into new material. On the other hand, thermoplastics are recyclable plastics because they can be remelted and turned into new products.

Some items simply aren't recyclable, including varieties of paper, glass, and plastic. Check with your local recycling program to know specifics, but in this blog post, I'll show you 10 common items that generally are not recyclable, along with suggestions on how you can dispose of or reuse them.

The Problem With Recycling Wrong Products

Fun Fact: According to Illinois State University News, the average recycling contamination rate is around 25%, meaning 1 in 4 items thrown in a recycling bin is not recyclable!

When non-recyclable items end up in the recycling stream, they can jam machines, slow down the process, and even force recycling facilities to send otherwise good materials straight to the landfill.

For example, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, a single non-recyclable item can contaminate a whole load of recyclables, causing an entire load of recycling to be rejected and thrown out!

Why It Matters:

• Wastes Resources: Recycling centers must spend extra time, energy, and money sorting out non-recyclables.
• Increases Landfill Waste: Contaminated loads often end up in landfills instead of being reused.
• Puts Workers at Risk: Hazardous items like batteries, electronics, or jammed objects can damage equipment and create dangerous conditions for recycling facility workers.
• Hurts Sustainability Goals: When recycling is inefficient, it reduces the environmental benefits we’re trying to achieve.

So before tossing something in the recycling bin, check your local recycling guidelines. What’s recyclable in one city may not be accepted in another. (A quick check can prevent contamination and make your recycling efforts far more effective!)

Summary: Recycling is one of the most common ways we try to reduce waste, but tossing the wrong items into your recycling bin can actually do more harm than good. When non-recyclable items are mixed in with recyclables, it can contaminate entire batches of materials, which means the whole load might get sent to the landfill instead of being processed.

Here Are 10 Items That Are Usually Not Recyclable:

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1. Coffee Cups

While a cup of coffee gives us a boost of energy, it also leaves an unimaginable amount of single-use cups in our landfills.

Fun Fact: Daily coffee consumption reached a 20-year high! According to the National Coffee Association report, 67% of American adults had coffee in the past day (more than any other beverage, including tap or bottled water).

The issue lies in how these cups are made. Many companies use a thin layer of plastic (usually polypropylene) to protect the liquid from seeping through the outside layer made of paper.

However, because the cup is made of two different materials fused together, it cannot be easily separated during the recycling process. As a result, the addition of this plastic layer means that roughly 99.75% of coffee cups can’t be recycled.

Actionable Tip: Instead of relying on single-use cups, consider carrying your own reusable cup or travel mug! Many coffee shops, such as Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts, even offer discounts when you bring your own cup.

Summary: Many companies made it seem like your coffee cup can be recycled, but it cannot. Most single-use cups are coated with plastic to prevent any liquid from leaking through your hand. This thin layer, however, makes the recycling process more difficult and inefficient.

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2. Plastic Straws

Although these straws are technically made from recyclable plastic (usually polypropylene), they are not accepted in most curbside recycling programs.

Fun Fact: According to Eco Cycle, people use around 500 million drinking straws a day in the United States, enough to fill over 127 school buses per day or more than 46,400 school buses per year!

Here are 2 reasons why:

1. They are too small and lightweight to make it through the mechanical recycling sorter: They can slip through the cracks of mechanical sorters or get stuck in the gears, causing jams and inefficiencies.
2. Contamination concern: Since many straws come into contact with beverages, they often leave behind residue that can contaminate recycling streams. Even a small amount of liquid or food waste can render an entire batch of recyclables unusable.

A standard plastic straw can also take up to 200 years to decompose because polypropylene (plastic #5) does not biodegrade like organic materials. Instead, they break down into smaller pieces (microplastics) through photodegradation, mechanical weathering, and environmental exposure.

Actionable Tip: It’s only one straw, said 8 billion people. Try to politely refuse plastic straws and use other eco-friendly alternatives if possible. (Ask yourself, is a 15-minute sip really worth centuries of pollution?)

Summary: Stop the misconception that plastic straws are recyclable and should be put in your recycling bin. The small pieces often get caught or fall between the gears of the machinery, so they usually end up being treated as waste that belongs in the landfill.

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3. Plastic Bags

Fun Fact: Americans use more than 100 billion plastic bags each year. According to the Environment America Research & Policy Center, that's more than 300 bags per person! (Plastic bags are also used for an average of 12 minutes, but can take anywhere from 20 to 1000 years to decompose!)

Many people who are trying to live more sustainably may unknowingly develop a habit of putting paper, junk mail, and plastic grocery bags in their recycling bin. The only problem with that is plastic grocery bags themselves are not recyclable and should not be put in the recycling bin.

Why? Plastic bags are one of the most problematic items for recycling facilities. Their lightweight and flexible nature easily clogs machinery and disrupts the entire recycling process.

Consequently, many recycling centers refuse to accept plastic bags in their curbside programs. So, instead of putting them in your recycling bin, consider reusing them for your next grocery shopping to effectively reduce your plastic waste.

Actionable Tip: If you want to recycle your plastic bags, your best bet is to take them back to your local grocery store to be reused. You can also use this link to find a specific plastic bag drop-off near you.

Summary: Plastic bags are often cited as the #1 contaminant found in recycling containers nationwide. Curbside recycling programs typically don't accept them because they're difficult to sort out and often jam the machines at the recycling facilities.

Photo: © Visor69 via pixabay

4. Batteries

Batteries play an important role in our modern lives. However, they are not easily recyclable due to their complex design and hazardous materials. So, all batteries must be taken to a household hazardous waste disposal facility!

Fun Fact: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans purchase around 3 billion batteries annually. (Without proper disposal, that’s billions of potential toxic hazards entering the waste stream every single year!)

Batteries come in various types, each requiring specialized recycling methods:

• Single-use alkaline batteries: Some areas allow these in household trash, but recycling is always the safer option.
• Rechargeable batteries: Common in phones, laptops, and power tools, these contain toxic heavy metals like cadmium and lithium, making recycling mandatory in many regions to prevent environmental contamination. Programs like Call2Recycle and facilities at retailers (e.g., Home Depot, Best Buy) accept these for specialized recycling.
• Car batteries: Extremely hazardous if not handled properly, but widely accepted at auto shops and recycling centers.
• Button cell batteries: Contain mercury or silver and require special recycling.

Recyclers collect batteries at collection points and not in your recycling bins. Also, it is not advisable to put batteries in recycling bins for safety reasons.

Summary: Batteries contain toxic substances that, if improperly disposed of, can harm the environment and pose health risks to humans and wildlife. For safety reasons, certain batteries should NOT go in household garbage or recycling bins. Some options where batteries can be recycled are at your community e-waste facility, or you can keep an eye out for e-waste collection events.

Photo: © VPanteon via Getty Images

5. Clothes Hangers

Clothes hangers are typically made from a mix of materials such as plastic, metal, and sometimes wood. This makes them difficult for recycling facilities to separate and process efficiently.

Fun Fact: According to the ReCollective, approximately 8 to 10 billion hangers (plastic, wire, and wood combined) are being produced in the United States each year!

Also, even when clothes hangers are made from a single material, they often have odd shapes and curved ends that can easily get caught in recycling machinery and disrupt the sorting process.

Therefore, many curbside recycling programs don't accept clothes hangers!

An eco-friendly alternative to minimize the environmental impact of clothes hangers is to reuse or donate them to your local thrift stores. This way, fewer hangers end up in landfills, and others can benefit from their use.

Summary: Most recycling facilities won't accept clothes hangers because of their material complexity, and their curved ends can be problematic when sorting. I recommend you consider reusing them or donating them to your local thrift store so others can benefit from their use.

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6. Children's Toy

Toys bring joy, creativity, and learning opportunities to children, but they also come with a hidden environmental cost. According to News Decoder, plastic accounts for 90% of today's toy market, and nearly 80% of all children’s toys end their lifecycle in landfills, contributing millions of tons of plastic waste and chemical pollutants to our environment every year!

Most children's toys are made from a mix of plastics, paints, metals, and sometimes electronics. This makes them extremely difficult to recycle because:

• Mixed Materials: Tiny plastic parts, screws, and glued components are hard to separate. (And must be separate to recycle)
• Electronic Toys: Contain metals, wiring, and batteries, which require specialized recycling methods.
• Hazardous Substances: Some toys also contain harmful chemicals like lead, phthalates, or flame retardants, making them unsuitable for recycling due to safety and environmental concerns.

Because of these factors, you’ll rarely find curbside recycling programs that accept toys. In fact, tossing them into your recycling bin can contaminate the stream and cause more harm than good.

Actionable Tip: Consider other eco-friendly alternatives like wooden, fabric, bamboo, natural rubber, cardboard crafts, or recycled materials next time you go shopping for your children's new toy.

Summary: Children’s toys are often made from a mix of materials such as plastics, paints, metals, batteries, and tiny glued components, which make recycling nearly impossible in standard recycling facilities. (It's even worse to separate electronic toys!)

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7. Plastic Wraps

Fun Fact: Each year, Americans buy enough plastic film to shrink-wrap the entire state of Texas! According to Statista, 5.3 million Americans used 10 or more rolls/boxes of plastic wrap in 2020.

Plastic wraps have become a popular option for packaging items and preserving food. However, it's nearly impossible to recycle them. Here's why:

• Contamination: Since most plastic wraps are used for food storage, they are often soiled with grease, oils, or food residue, which will contaminate the recycling process.
• Thin & Lightweight: Plastic wrap can easily tangle in recycling machinery, causing jams, breakdowns, and costly delays at facilities.
• Low Value: Even when collected, the cost of recycling plastic film often outweighs its resale value, making it economically unfeasible for most recycling programs.

You can find some local areas that offer plastic wrap drop-offs, but please keep in mind that plastic wraps typically do not get recycled in curbside bins and can take hundreds of years to break down in the landfill.

Actionable Tip: Plastic wrap is not recyclable and can be expensive to replace over time. So consider other alternatives like beeswax wraps or reusable silicone lids.

Summary: Plastic wrap usually isn't accepted for recycling because the thin film is often tangled, clogged, and wrapped around the equipment, potentially damaging the machinery used in recycling centers.

Photo: © pixelshot via canva.com

8. Paper Towels

Fun Fact: Americans send around 3,000 tons of paper towels to the landfill every day! According to PEA, the paper towels that we use in a single day take 51,000 trees and 60 million gallons of water to make.

While paper towels may seem harmless, they are not recyclable and should not be put in your recycling bin.

Reason #1: Paper towels almost always come into contact with food waste, grease, or cleaning chemicals, which can contaminate entire batches of recyclables.

Reason #2: The fibers are already too short and weak to be turned into new paper products, so even unused paper towels cannot be recycled.

Instead of placing your already used paper towel in the recycling bin, you should throw them in the trash. And if they are not contaminated with grease, oil, or chemicals, you should try to compost them.

Actionable Tip: Replace single-use paper towels and napkins with washable towels to reduce waste and save money in the long run!

Summary: Paper towels are not accepted in curbside recycling programs because they probably have food or other residues on them that can contaminate other recyclable materials, and cannot be made into new paper due to their short fibers.

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9. Pizza Boxes Or Any Cardboard Food Container

Cardboard is one of the most recyclable materials we use every day, but when it comes to pizza boxes and other cardboard food containers, things aren’t so straightforward.

Fun Fact: According to Domino's Pizza, the U.S. goes through about 3 billion pizza boxes every year, generating more than 600,000 tons of cardboard waste.

While the cardboard boxes itself are naturally recyclable, leftover grease, cheese, and food residue soaked in the cardboard can contaminate the entire recycling process (When food waste seeps into the cardboard, the fibers become inseparable from the oil).

As a result, many recycling facilities will reject greasy or soiled pizza boxes, even if only part of the box is dirty.

The good news is that recycling technologies are improving, and even major companies are stepping in to help. In 2020, Domino's increased its percentage of recycled content from 40% to 72%

Actionable Tip: Separate the clean portions for recycling from the food contaminated part. This way, you help keep valuable cardboard in the recycling stream and reduce unnecessary landfill waste.

Summary: While recycling technologies are advancing and companies like Domino’s are working to make pizza boxes more widely recyclable, most curbside recycling programs still reject cardboard boxes contaminated with food residue.

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10. Plastic Toothbrush

Fun Fact: According to National Geographic, it’s estimated that over 1 billion toothbrushes are thrown away every year in the United States alone, enough to wrap around the Earth four times if you laid them out end-to-end!

While toothbrush are a crucial part of our daily dental care routine, their environmental impact is often overlooked. Surprisingly, plastic toothbrush are not recyclable because they are made of mixed materials that are difficult to separate and can jam machinery.

A typical toothbrush combines nylon bristles and plastic handles (Some even have metal staples to secure the bristles to the head). Separating these materials is costly and impractical for standard recycling facilities.

Oh, and don’t get me started on electronic toothbrushes. These add another layer of complexity since they contain metals, wiring, and batteries. They require specialized e-waste recycling programs and should never be tossed in regular recycling bins!

Here are some eco-friendly alternatives to plastic toothbrushes:

• Bamboo Toothbrushes: Same function, but with a biodegradable bamboo handle instead of plastic.
• Replaceable-head toothbrushes: A toothbrush where only the head is replaced, reducing overall waste.
• Electric toothbrushes with recyclable heads: While not perfect, they generate less waste over time compared to discarding a full plastic toothbrush.

A plastic toothbrush can take hundreds of years to decompose, breaking down into harmful microplastics that pollute our ecosystems. Animals often mistake these fragments for food, leading to many injuries or death.

Summary: Most plastic toothbrushes are not recyclable through standard curbside recycling programs because they are made of mixed materials that are difficult to separate and can easily jam machinery.

Quick Takeaway

Knowing which items are not recyclable can help us make more informed decisions about their disposal. Here Are 10 Items That Are Usually Not Recyclable:

1. Coffee Cups
2. Plastic Straws
3. Plastic Bags
4. Batteries
5. Clothes Hangers
6. Children's Toys
7. Plastic Wraps
8. Paper Towels
9. Pizza Boxes
10. Plastic Toothbrush

As always, check with your local recycling program for the most accurate information on what items can be placed in your recycling bin. Curbside recycling programs vary from city to city. This blog is intended to be a general guide only.

Beyond the usual suspects, here are some additional non-recyclable items that I haven't mentioned: Food waste, garbage, medical waste, photographs, styrofoam, and wood or tree branches.

And if you have any questionable items that need to be recycled, use this search to find a local recycler.

Frequently Asked Questions Relate To This Blog:

Question #1: What are the reasons an item may not be recycled?

Answer: Here are some of the reasons why an item may not be recycled: It could be made from non-recyclable materials, contaminated with food or liquids, or too small to be processed effectively.

Question #2: What can I do with items that are not recyclable?

Answer: For items that can't be recycled, consider alternatives like reusing them, composting (if applicable), or disposing of them responsibly. Doing these 3 actions will reduce waste and help lessen your environmental impact.

Question #3: How can I reduce my use of these items?

Answer: You can swap out for eco-friendly alternatives or try to reuse them to reduce your plastic waste and save money in the long run.

Question #4: How can I identify if something is recyclable?

Answer: To identify whether an item is recyclable or not, simply check for recycling symbols on the packaging, look up your local recycling guidelines, or refer to the material the item is made from. Also, not all recyclable items are accepted in your local recycling programs, so it's important to know what can be recycled in your area.