The law requires residents, businesses and institutions to recycle to reduce waste and help the environment. We can analyze how the material is classified and how the recycling collected at your school ultimately becomes something new. YES- All magazines, literature, envelopes, brochures, greeting cards, and paperback books are recyclable and should be stored in their curbside bin. Clean bottles, metal cans, and plastic containers with a 1, 2, or 5 in the triangle at the bottom, as well as newsprint, papers, and cardboard, are the only items that can be reliably recycled, say area recyclers.

If you live in Brigantine, Buena Vista Township, or Ventnor, contact your Public Works Department to purchase a recycling cart. While the main recyclable materials have remained the same, some municipalities have different specifications for what is acceptable. Remember that it’s always a good idea to read the labels and look for the most up-to-date information about your municipality’s recycling program. Curbside recycling programs follow the same basic rules throughout New Jersey, and your local program may include additional materials.

Some municipalities, including Clifton, have been able to remain profitable by requiring residents to meticulously separate and clean recyclables. End-market specifications for recycled materials have tightened, making non-recyclable items in their curbside bin a bigger problem for facilities that separate and process what you place in that bin. Over the past 10 years, Camden County, like many other places, began single-stream recycling, where residents combine all recyclables into a single bin for collection. Only steel and aluminum containers for food and beverages should be placed in the curbside recycling bin.