Four minor changes in our recycling guidelines went into effect on July 1, 2020.
We have updated the recycling guides on this page to reflect these changes:
Shredded paper and aerosol cans are no longer accepted in recycling.
Clear plastic cups and clear plastic egg cartons are now considered acceptable in recycling.
Click here for more information.
Recycling Education Tools
Recycling’s Most Unwanted Items… …and WHY they’re Unwanted!!!
Recycle Single Stream |
Springfield Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) Educational Resources
Recycling & Waste Reduction resources and support for western Mass Educators and beyond.
School Cafeteria Recycling Signs:
What’s Recyclable at the MRF:
PAPER:
- All paper and cardboard should be dry
- Junk mail – Plastic windows okay
- Paperboard – Cereal boxes, shoe boxes, cracker boxes, empty pizza boxes, etc. Remove plastic or wax paper liners.
- Newspapers/inserts
- Magazines/catalogs
- Paper bags
- White and colored office paper
- Corrugated cardboard – Flatten when possible. Do not tie with string.
- Pizza boxes – empty: no food, wax paper liners, etc.
- Paperbacks and phone books -covers okay
CONTAINERS:
- Glass bottles/jars, less than 2.5 gallons – Labels, lids, neck rings, etc. are okay
- Aluminum cans, pie plates, “disposable” aluminum trays and take-out containers, and aluminum foil
- Tin/steel cans and lids, tin containers – Labels are okay
- Milk & juice cartons (tent top), drink boxes – Remove straws, replace caps
- Plastic bottles/jars/jugs/tubs. Empty, rinse, and place cap back on the container. No loose caps or lids.
- Clear plastic hinged containers (clamshells). No clamshells that are black plastic, styrofoam or compostable.
- Clear plastic egg cartons, clear plastic cups (crystal clear, printing OK) – place straws and cup lids in the trash.
Remember to rinse containers before recycling.
No light bulbs, window or auto glass, dishes, glasses, Pyrex, ceramics, or broken glass.
No paint cans or other household metal objects.
No clothing or textiles.
No plastic bags, containers over 2.5 gallons, motor oil jugs, chemical or Styrofoam containers or flower pots
Looking for something that is not on this list? See the above PDFs, including the Detailed Yes / No list.
Also see MassDEP’s Recycle Smart Recyclopedia: recyclesmartma.org