All About Recycling

Each person in Wisconsin creates almost 2000 pounds of waste per year! Although we recycle 34% of this, there is so much more we can do. To learn more about what happens once your recycling is collected, click here.

KGMB offers environmental education programs on recycling. Click here to learn more!

-Recycling at Home

Recycling saves countless resources that are in the process of being depleted
Proper recycling can reduce water and air pollution necessary to our survival
Recycling is a source of jobs
In Wisconsin it is the law to recycle

Glass

Glass can be recycled infinitely with no loss in quality. Recycling glass saves energy and is much cheaper than making new glass.

Mix all of your glass containers together in your recycle bin.
Remove non-glass elements, like plastic or metal bottle caps, before recycling glass.

Paper and Cardboard

Recycling paper saves trees, and it also takes a lot of material out of the waste stream. In fact, more than 20% of our trash is made of paper. You can recycle many paper products, including newspapers, magazines, junk mail, and boxes. You should also make an effort to reduce the amount of paper you buy and use in the first place.

Even paper-based food containers can often be recycled, as long as they’re completely empty.
Wrapping paper is often not recyclable, especially if it has a shiny coating on it.
Flatten boxes before you put them into the recycle bin.
Books can be recycled once the hard covers are removed.

Plastic

Not all communities accept all plastics! Look at the bottom of each item to find a number that will tell you what type of plastic it’s made from. Visit RecycleMoreWisconsin to see what is recyclable in your community. The City of Milwaukee only accepts plastics #1, #2, and #5 in curbside recycling bins.

Clean all plastic items before recycling them.
Do not put plastic bags, plastic wrap, sandwich bags, or bubble wrap in your recycle bin. The plastic gets tangled in the equipment. They can be dropped off at some local grocery and home stores. Click here to find a drop off location.

-Cell Phone and Ink Jet Recycling

Cell phones, like all pieces of electronic equipment, have hazardous materials in them such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. They can not be thrown in the trash. If thrown away and emptied into the landfill, they would leak these hazardous materials, thus tainting our drinking water and harming the environment.

Inkjet Cartridges – Over 13 cartridges are discarded in the U.S. every second, according to CartridgeFundraising.com. That’s hundreds of millions of cartridges that end up in landfills every year, made with plastics that can take at least 1,000 years to decompose.

You can help KGMB raise money to support its environmental education, outreach, and community building programs by recycling your old cell phones and inkjet cartridges. It’s FREE and EASY! Drop off used cell phones and inkjet cartridges (only small cartridges-they should fit in the palm of your hand) at our office (1313 W. Mount Vernon Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53233)

Check these links out for more information!

How Cell Phone Recycling Works (Video)

The Secret Life of Cell Phones (Video)

Find a Recycling Location Near You (Link)

-Electronics Recycling

Effective September 1, 2010, many consumer electronics are banned from landfills. It is up to you to make sure that your old electronics are recycled properly.

Electronics such as monitors and circuit boards contain toxic substances like lead, mercury, and chromium. When these heavy metals get dumped into the solid waste stream they pose an environmental risk.

CFL recycling_FINAL_updated.12.10.10

ECycle Flyer – Banned Items_Modified English

ECycle Flyer – Banned Items_Modified Spanish

DNR Ecycle Flyer

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