Household guides
Practical answers for awkward bin moments.
Short guides for the questions that are just messy enough to make people pause: food residue, mixed materials, e-waste, hazardous items, and local-rule caveats.
Weekly Review: Coffee Grounds, Foam, Cords, and the Junk Drawer Problem
A practical week for compost piles, trash calls, e-waste drawers, and the stuff people keep putting in the wrong bin.
Read guide
Do coffee grounds go in compost?
Coffee grounds can usually go in compost, but filters, pods, and curbside rules make the answer less automatic.
Read guide
Can you recycle styrofoam?
Most Styrofoam does not belong in curbside recycling. Learn when foam goes in the trash, when drop-off might work, and what to check first.
Read guide
Paper towels do not belong in recycling
Used paper towels usually go in trash, unless your local compost program accepts food soiled paper. Keep them out of recycling.
Read guide
Can clothes go in the recycling bin?
Most clothes do not belong in curbside recycling. Learn what to donate, drop off, or throw away after a closet cleanout.
Read guide
Can old chargers and cables go in recycling?
Old chargers and cables usually do not belong in curbside recycling. Here is when to use e-waste drop-off, retail takeback, or trash.
Read guide
Trash or hazardous waste: old paint cans
Old paint cans are not all the same. Latex paint may be trash once dried, while oil based paint usually needs household hazardous waste drop off.
Read guide
Weekly Review: The Kitchen Packaging Trap
A quick week of household disposal calls, from coffee pods to greasy pizza boxes.
Read guide
Can you recycle coffee pods?
Most coffee pods do not belong loose in curbside recycling. Learn when to trash them, when to use a takeback program, and what to do with the grounds.
Read guide
Can you recycle aluminum foil?
Clean aluminum foil can often be recycled, but greasy scraps and tiny bits usually belong in the trash.
Read guide
Can you recycle chip bags?
Most chip bags do not belong in curbside recycling. Here is what to check, what to avoid, and when a drop-off option might exist.
Read guide
Can you recycle prescription bottles?
Empty prescription bottles look recyclable but curbside rules are picky. Here is when they go in recycling and when they belong in the trash.
Read guide
Can you recycle pizza boxes?
Pizza boxes can be recycled only when the cardboard is clean enough. Here is what to do with greasy bottoms, cheese, liners, and leftover slices.
Read guide
Can you recycle frozen food boxes?
Most frozen food boxes are trash unless your local program specifically accepts coated paperboard. Here’s the quick kitchen rule.
Read guide
Weekly Review: Gel Packs, Glassware, Grease, and Takeout Traps
Gel ice packs, drinking glasses, cooking oil, egg cartons, takeout containers, and yogurt cups: here is the practical bin check.
Read guideDo gel ice packs go in trash or recycling?
Most gel ice packs do not belong in curbside recycling. Here is the simple trash rule and what to check before you toss one.
Read guideCan drinking glasses go in the recycling bin?
Most drinking glasses do not belong in curbside recycling. Here is what to do with glassware that is usable, chipped, or broken.
Read guideCan you pour cooking oil down the drain?
Used cooking oil usually should not go down the drain. Here is the safer trash or drop-off answer for grease, fryer oil, and pan drippings.
Read guideDo egg cartons go in recycling?
Find out when paper, plastic, and foam egg cartons belong in recycling, trash, compost, or drop-off.
Read guideTrash or recycling: takeout containers
Takeout containers may be recycling, trash, or compost depending on the material, food residue, and local rules.
Read guideCan you recycle yogurt cups?
Yogurt cups may be recyclable, but it depends on the plastic type and your local program. Here is what to rinse, remove, and check before tossing one.
Read guideCan you recycle milk cartons?
Milk cartons may be recyclable, but it depends on your local program. Learn when to recycle them, when to trash them, and how to prep them.
Read guideCan you recycle paper plates?
Most paper plates do not belong in curbside recycling, especially if they are greasy, wet, coated, or covered with food. Here is the practical bin answer.
Read guideCan you recycle extension cords?
Extension cords usually do not go in curbside recycling. Learn when to donate them, drop them off, or throw them away.
Read guideCan you recycle plastic plant pots?
Plastic plant pots are sometimes recyclable, but many curbside programs do not want them. Learn when to recycle, drop off, reuse, or trash them.
Read guideCan you recycle light bulbs?
Most light bulbs do not go in curbside recycling. Learn what to do with incandescent, halogen, CFL, fluorescent, and LED bulbs.
Read guideCan you recycle aerosol cans?
A practical guide to whether aerosol cans go in recycling, trash, or household hazardous waste.
Read guideCan plastic bags go in the recycling bin?
Plastic bags usually do not belong in curbside recycling. Learn when to use store drop-off, when to trash them, and what not to do.
Read guideWhat counts as recycling contamination?
Recycling contamination means the wrong item or a poorly prepared item went in the recycling bin. Learn the common household mistakes and what to check locally.
Read guideCan you recycle shredded paper?
Shredded paper usually does not go loose in curbside recycling. Learn when to bag it, compost it, drop it off, or trash it.
Read guideCan you recycle plastic hangers?
Most plastic hangers do not belong in curbside recycling. Here is what to do with usable, broken, plastic, and mixed-material hangers.
Read guideCan you recycle receipts?
Most receipts should not go in curbside recycling. Learn when receipts go in the trash, why thermal paper is different, and what to check locally.
Read guideCan you recycle broken glass at home?
Broken glass is usually trash, not curbside recycling. Learn how to wrap it safely and when a local drop-off may apply.
Read guideCan empty propane tanks go in the trash?
Empty propane tanks usually should not go in trash or recycling. Learn the safest practical options for grill tanks and small camping cylinders.
Read guideTrash or drop-off: household batteries
Household batteries usually do not go in curbside recycling. Learn which batteries can go in trash locally and which need a drop-off.
Read guideClean cardboard vs. greasy cardboard: what goes in recycling?
Clean cardboard usually goes in recycling, but greasy or food-soaked cardboard may belong in trash or compost. Here is the quick household sorting rule.
Read guideCan styrofoam be recycled?
Styrofoam is usually not accepted in curbside recycling. Learn when foam can be recycled, when it belongs in trash, and what to check locally.
Read guideTrash or recycling: paper towels
Paper towels usually do not go in curbside recycling. Here is the quick rule for clean, used, and compostable paper towels.
Read guideCompostable packaging in curbside compost: yes, no or maybe?
Not all compostable packaging belongs in your curbside compost bin. Here’s the quick rule and what to check before tossing it.
Read guideCan clothes go in the recycling bin?
Most clothes do not belong in curbside recycling. Here’s the quick rule for wearable, damaged, and unusable textiles.
Read guideTrash or hazardous waste: old paint cans
Not sure where old paint cans go? Here’s the quick rule for latex vs oil-based paint, plus what to do before curbside disposal.
Read guideDo coffee grounds go in compost?
Coffee grounds usually go in compost, not recycling or the trash. Here is the quick rule plus common mistakes and local curbside compost checks.
Read guideTrash or recycling: aluminum foil
Not sure whether aluminum foil goes in trash or recycling? Here’s the quick household rule for clean foil, dirty foil, and foil trays.
Read guideCan old chargers and cables go in the recycling bin?
Chargers and cables usually do not belong in curbside recycling. Here’s where they go and what to do before you drop them off.
Read guideNeed an answer now?
Use lookup for items we have not written up yet.
The guides go deeper, but the lookup tool is built for the moment you are already holding the thing.
Check an itemComing next
More common household questions.
Planned guide
How to dispose of batteries at home
Use the lookup tool to check the specific battery type before saving it for drop-off.
Check AA battery nowPlanned guide
Can broken glass go in recycling?
Use the lookup tool for the exact item, because drinking glasses, jars, and ceramics differ.
Check broken glass nowPlanned guide
What to do with old cables and chargers
Use the lookup tool to sort donate, e-waste, and save-for-later decisions quickly.
Check old cables now