Before getting more involved in the environmental community at my university, I thought almost anything could be recycled, especially if it was made out of plastic, but this isn't the case. The following list includes a few household items that cannot be recycled through your neighborhood pickup method:
1. Foil Lined Wrappers
Most commonly, granola bars and chips are packaged in these. The thin plastic outside and foil lining makes it unable to be recycled with plastics or metals. Thankfully, there are programs like TerraCycle to which you ship your "hard-to-recycle" items. The profit from the recycled material goes to charities, too!
2. Pizza Boxes
You might think pizza boxes, being composed of cardboard, are recyclable, but grease prevents this. The oil from the cheese soaks into the cardboard disrupting the recycling process when it cannot be separated from the paper fibers. It is best to compost them instead!
3. Keurig Cups
Some Keurig cups are not biodegradable or recyclable. The individual parts (filter, coffee, aluminum lid, and plastic shell) are recyclable/compostable, but the entire thing is not. While you can separate them, this takes time and is not something most people want to do multiple times every day. Looking out for companies that make recyclable K-cups like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts will greatly reduce your waste.
4. Plastic Bottle Pumps
The pumps in soap bottles are made of plastic but contain a metal spring. Often times, if the bottle isn't transparent, you put the entire thing in the bin once it's empty. It's important to either remove the spring or only recycle the bottle base. Swapping bottled soaps for bars or bottles with caps is a better alternative.
5. Plastic Wrap (Soft Plastic)
The very thin plastic that covers goods such as paper towels, toilet paper, and bread is called soft plastic. This type cannot be placed in the same curbside bin as water bottles. Along with plastic grocery bags, it must go to a separate recycling facility. Thankfully, most grocery stores have drop offs for soft plastic at the front of the store.
Placing these items in your curbside recycling bins does more harm than good. If you are unsure whether something is recyclable, a quick Google search will let you know. Incorrectly placed waste contaminates the entire shipment which can result in all of it heading to the landfill.
