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 What To Recycle

Communities and individuals continue to look for new ways to address reduction in areas such as solid waste, energy and water. One of the easiest forms of waste reduction efforts is in form of participating in your local recycling program and supporting a "close the loop" approach towards new purchases meaning that the consumer purchase items made with recycled content rather than made from a new resource. Recycled materials are present in almost everything we use at home, at work and in between. They are so common that we easily forget that recycling is a conscious choice we must make.

Lee County makes that choice easier for you by offering "single-stream" recycling in which all recyclable materials go into the same container. That means you no longer have to pre-sort recyclable materials.

The Solid Waste Division will gladly assist you in reducing your waste while helping to create a cleaner environment. Please call (239) 533-8000 for assistance.

 

 

 

Aluminum: soda and beer cans, aluminum foil, aluminum pie pans

Glass: soda, beer, liquor and wine bottles; jelly, salsa and any other clear, brown or green glass bottles and jars (please rinse out food)

Metal: soup, fruit, juice, pet food, tuna and vegetable cans; empty aerosol cans

Paper: newspaper; magazines; brown, white and colored paper bags; phone books; junk mail; catalogs; office and computer paper; corrugated cardboard (such as moving boxes); cardboard (such as cereal boxes, gift boxes, pasta boxes, etc.)

Recycle Your Christmas Wrapping Paper and All Gift Boxes (no ribbons please)

Plastic: containers marked #1 through #7, including water bottles, milk jugs, detergent and bleach bottles, soda bottles, shampoo bottles, butter or whipped topping tubs; #2 black nursery plant pots

 

Aluminum:  pots and pans, cooking utensils, door screens, lawn furniture

Glass:  medicine bottles, dishes, drinking glasses, windows and mirrors, cookware (such as Pyrex or Corning)

Metal:  tools, car parts, license plates, cutlery

Paper:  shredded paper, paper packaging with wax layer such as in juice boxes or waxed cardboard

Plastic: plastic bags, pool chemical bottles, motor oil and antifreeze containers, household chemical waste containers, flower pots (except black #2), medicine vials, egg cartons, polystyrene trays, newspaper sleeves, styrofoam

 
These items need to be disposed of with the regular household garbage. Most grocery stores have a recycling container to return plastic bags.