Contamination is one of the biggest challenges in maintaining a viable recycling program.  Trash and contaminated recyclables that are placed in the recycling cart take extra time to sort out at the processing facility and have the potential for contaminating and ruining other materials in the batch.

To avoid contaminating the recycling stream, please observe the following rules:

	Place only approved recyclables in your cart.  When in doubt – keep it out.
	Empty and rinse plastic and metal containers.  Food and liquid residues should be removed.   Examples:  Food, shampoo, lotion, oil and other contents should be rinsed out.
	Remove non-recyclable materials from recyclable items.   Examples: Plastic wrappers should be removed from paper products.  Plastic lids and pumps should be removed and placed in the trash.