{"id":208258,"date":"2026-03-17T13:12:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T13:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/208258\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T13:12:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T13:12:14","slug":"what-can-and-cant-i-recycle-curious-texas-sorts-for-answers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/208258\/","title":{"rendered":"What can and can\u2019t I recycle? Curious Texas sorts for answers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recycling can feel straightforward when talking about large, standard items such as cardboard boxes, glass jars and paper goods. But when it comes to the small details \u2013 like the metal blade on a foil box or labels stuck to a jar \u2013 you may not be sure what to do. <\/p>\n

Carla Young, a Curious Texas reader, asked: \u201cWhat\u2019s the proper way to recycle different everyday items? Do I need to tear the cutting strip from my parchment paper box? What about a label from a glass jar, or the tube from my dog waste roll?\u201d <\/p>\n

A city of Dallas sanitation official spoke with The Dallas Morning News on how to handle these smaller recycling queries.<\/p>\n

The cutting strip on a parchment paper box<\/p>\n

Curious Texas<\/p>\n

You ask, we investigate. Follow the investigations and see what our journalists uncover in North Texas and across the state.<\/p>\n

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Cardboard boxes holding aluminum foil or parchment paper can be recycled, even when they still have the metal cutting strip attached. In fact, the city of Dallas recommends leaving the blade on the box rather than removing it. <\/p>\n

Marcos Estrada, a spokesperson with sanitation services, said residents should not remove the blade before placing the box in the binbecause it can become hazardous as it moves through the recycling system.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur recycling facility staff use cut and puncture resistant gloves to help protect them from sharp materials,\u201d Estrada said.<\/p>\n

The only key requirement is making sure the box is empty and clean before discarding.<\/p>\n

Glass jar labels and dog waste tubes<\/p>\n

Labels on items like glass jars can stay attached, and residents don\u2019t need to prep the item any further than simply emptying and rinsing before placing it in the recycling bin, according to Estrada. The recycling process handles labels during sorting. <\/p>\n

As for the small cardboard tubes found in dog waste rolls, they\u2019re typically captured by the recycling facility\u2019s sorting equipment, Estrada said. However, some small items may fall through the machinery. Sanitation officials said being mindful of an item\u2019s cleanliness and size can go a long way.<\/p>\n

What can be recycled?<\/p>\n

Recycling rules can vary by city, but Dallas sanitation officials say many common household materials are widely accepted. The sanitation department even has a \u201cResident\u2019s Guide to Recycling\u201d<\/a> available for reference.<\/p>\n

Items commonly accepted in Dallas curbside recycling include:<\/p>\n

Cardboard boxes and paper products such as newspapers, mail and office paper. Flattening cardboard boxes allows for more space in the bin and improves sorting efficiency. Glass bottles and jars, which should be emptied and rinsed before placing them in recycling.Rigid plastic containers such as water bottles, milk jugs and detergent bottles.Metal food cans, including aluminum and steel cans used for food and beverages. These should also be rinsed and dried beforehand.What can\u2019t be recycled?<\/p>\n

Some items commonly placed in the recycling bin shouldn\u2019t be. Republic Services<\/a> \u2014 a disposal company used by some multifamily and commercial units in the broader North Texas area \u2014 and nationally recognized social enterprise Plastic for Change<\/a> provide in-depth recycling tips on their websites.<\/p>\n

Items that should not go in curbside recycling include:<\/p>\n

Plastic bags and plastic wrap, which can tangle recycling equipment.Styrofoam containers and packing foam, which most recycling facilities cannot process.Disposable coffee cups, which are often lined with plastic and cannot be recycled through most curbside programs.Food-soiled containers, such as greasy pizza boxes or containers with leftover food, which can contaminate recycling loads.Flexible plastics and small items, such as chip bags, straws and foam packaging, which often cannot be processed through standard recycling systems.Electronics, garden hoses and other nonpackaging materials, which require specialized recycling or disposal methods.<\/p>\n

Have a question you want answered about North Texas? Send it to Curious Texas.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Recycling can feel straightforward when talking about large, standard items such as cardboard boxes, glass jars and paper…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":208259,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[539,102,27,29,28],"class_list":["post-208258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-curious-texas","tag-dallas","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208258\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/208259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}