Ann Arbor is known and recognized as a green city. Many Ann Arbor residents are committed to helping the environment, including recycling.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 75% of people in the U.S. recycle, but are they recycling properly? Many may not even realize that there is a right and wrong way to recycle. Here are 6 things you can do to be a better recycler.
Remove caps and rings.
When recycling a plastic bottle, remove the cap and ring, since they are not recyclable. Unfortunately, many recycling centers will throw away a bottle with a cap and ring still on it, instead of taking the time to remove them.

Don’t recycle anything with food stuck on it.
Items such as pizza boxes or paper plates with food still stuck to them cannot be recycled. Instead of tossing the whole pizza box into the trash, cut off the lid and any part of the box that is clean, and recycle those.

Rinse it out.
It’s more efficient if the recycling center gets items that have been rinsed out. While you are rinsing, peel off any labels and as much of the sticky residue as you can.

Find out what plastic you can recycle.
Not all plastics are accepted everywhere. Check with you local recycling center to find out which plastics they accept. Look for the number inside the recycling symbol and only recycle the accepted numbers.
Pay attention to paper.
Shredded paper doesn’t have the long fibers needed to make good recycled paper products. Find another use for shredded page such as using it as tissue paper in presents. Remove brightly colored paper, construction paper and wax paper from regular white paper. Stick to paper from a notebook, envelope or printer.

No plastic grocery bags.
Plastic bags from grocery stores are not recyclable. Bring reusable bags with you the next time you go to the grocery store.

If you have any recycling questions, call your local recycling center. Recycle Ann Arbor is a great local resource. For more information, visit their website or call (734) 662.6288.