Completing the circle

There’s no fee, but will always accept a donation to help cover costs:

Cans

• Deposit Cans/Bottles - do not crush
• Aluminum - non-returnable cans, foil, and trays
• “Tin” (steel)

Bottles & Jars

• Deposit Bottles (we can use the grayboard carriers too!)
• Glass - clear, green, & brown
• labels & lids ok

Plastics

• Polyethelene milk jugs, #2
• Mixed plastic containers, #1-6
• Plastic film, grocery bags and the like, typically #2 or #4

Paper

• Loose paper (no strings or bags), no tissue or towels
• Newspaper
• Magazines, catalogs, & slick paper
• Phone books
• White office paper
• Mixed paper - junk mail, colored, mailing labels ok - (no dayglow or goldenrod)

Scrap Metal - ask for sorting help

• Tin cans (magnetic)
• Non-deposit aluminium cans (non-magnetic)
• Teflon (white) coated aluminium cans (non-magnetic)
• Aluminum foil and foil items (including non-magnetic pie tins)

Cardboard

• Corrugated boxes & brown bags
• Grayboard - cereal boxes, microwave item boxes, egg cartons, etc.

Motor Oil

Batteries

• Rechargeable
• Auto

Monofilament fishing line

If you don’t see your item listed above please check the Dispose page.

Please note that CART’M is currently losing money on many recycled materials we collect. Markets are down so tin, mixed plastic bottles, glass, magazines, and scrap metal actually cost us money to get rid of. In addition, we have the cost of shipping materials from our rural area to Portland.

Recycling is a very important step in waste reduction. These materials are still usable and one of these days creative new markets will be developed - when raw materials aren’t made cheaper by manufacturing subsidies and short term thinking. So, yes! continue to recycle all you can.

Just remember that even though CART’M will take your recycling for free, we ask that you donate to CART’M what we save you in garbage costs.

Recycling is the last of three important waste elimination elements:

• Reducing is the number one way we can help eliminate waste entirely. Unlike recycling, reducing does not waste the energy on unneeded materials in the first place. The best way to reduce is to be an intelligent shopper. Don’t buy products that have anti-recyclable packaging. Buy products that have post-consumer recycled content. Buy only what you need, and encourage your kids to do the same.

• Reusing materials is also superior to recycling. Instead of using energy to create a new product from a useless one, reusing something means getting the maximum usage from that one item.

• Recycling is the next step down the waste ladder and one rung up from landfilling that item. Sorting, and separating materials by kind allows industry to use those materials as raw ingredients in new products. This saves the stripping of virgin materials for those products and saves landfill space as well. But remember - most traditional recycling is only packaging. Use as little as you can in the first place!