Recycle Guide

Learn what materials are accepted in your recycling at home and work, and what materials to keep out.

Printable recycle guides

Live in a single family house? Use these:

Live in an apartment, condo other multifamily community? Want to recycle at work? Use these:

Recycle Together at Home, Work, or School

Paper

Paper

  • newspaper
  • cardboard (flattened)
  • magazines and phone books
  • mail and catalogs
  • scrap paper
  • paper bags
  • cartons (rinsed): milk, juice, soup
  • shredded paper (in paper bag)

Plastic

Plastic

In Clackamas County and the Metro region, we recycle plastics by shape and size, not the numbers on the container.

  • bottles, jugs, and tubs (clean, 6 ounces or larger)
  • buckets (clean, 5 gallons or smaller)
  • rigid plant pots (clean, 4 inches across or larger)

Please empty and rinse containers.

Metal

Metal

Empty and rinse containers. Do not flatten cans. Labels are okay. Tin tops are okay if crimped inside can.

  • aluminum, tin and steel food cans
  • metal paint cans (empty and dry)
  • aerosol cans (empty)
  • aluminum foil and pie plates
  • scrap metal (smaller than 30" and less than 30 lbs.)

Recycle in your Separate Glass-Only Container

Glass

Glass

Place glass in a separate glass-only container.* Empty and rinse glass containers. Glass of all colors can be mixed together. Labels are okay to leave on, but remove caps and corks.

  • glass bottles
  • glass jars

* If you are a customer of Bliss Sanitary Service, Inc., your glass recycling collection may vary slightly. Contact Bliss Sanitary for more information at 503-663-3417.

Set on the side

Motor Oil*

Motor Oil

Set used motor oil next to your glass bin in a marked container with a screw-top cap. Only use containers 2 gallons or less.

* Available for single family residential customers only. Not available at apartments or businesses.

Special recycling

Some items not accepted in your recycling at home or work are accepted at recycling depots. These include:

Find a recycler near you. Fees may apply.

Do not Recycle These at Home

Do not Recycle

  • plastic bags and plastic film —These get tangled in the sorting machines, and cause hazardous conditions for workers (can be recycled at participating retailers).
  • plastic lids and tops—These get mistaken for paper in the sorting machines.
  • frozen food boxes and other waxed/plastic-injected paper products—These are infused or constructed with other materials to help it withstand temperatures or moisture that can’t be separated in the recycling process.
  • glassware, ceramics and incandescent light bulbs—These are not food grade glass. They contaminate and ruin the recyclable materials.
  • to-go cups, napkins and containers including paper/plastic clamshells —These are often injected with a plastic to withstand temperatures that can’t be separated in the recycling process and/or covered in food and grease.
  • food scraps and food-soiled materials—These contaminate and ruin the recyclable materials.
  • pet waste and diapers—These contaminate and ruin the recyclable materials.
  • non-curbside, bulky and rigid plastics—our recycling facilities cannot process these materials.

Have a Question About Something not Seen Here?

For answers about how to recycle or properly dispose of materials not allowed in recycling at home or work, email us at wasteinfo@clackamas.us or call Metro’s Recycling Information Center at 503-234-3000.