Do You Know How to Recycle Properly?

It's more than just throwing the bottle in the recycling bin. 

To be a real recycling superstar, you have to practice these simple steps for successful recycling.

1. Remove the Cap, but Save It!

2. Rinse, Flatten and Re-Cap
Your recyclable bottles will be cleaned by machines when they reach the recycling facility, but it takes a lot of time and hard work. If you quickly rinse your bottles, it makes your containers that much easier to recycle. And while you're at it, flatten your PET bottles by stepping on them and put that cap back on. Flat bottles take up less space in bins and trucks; they're also easier to crush and process.

Did you know that the caps are recyclable too?  Caps are made from different types of plastic and are easily separated from the PET bottles during the recycling process, often through a "float / sink" process where the denser PET sinks in water and can be separated from the lighter cap and label material. Both PET and the cap materials are used to manufacture new products. (Click here to see some of the products that can be made from recycled PET.)

3. Recycle!
This is the easy part! Just toss the bottles in your curbside recycling bin or take them to your local drop-off center.

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