6 ways you’re recycling wrong, according to Bay Area trash experts

Bales of recycled materials including cardboard, soft plastics and aluminum pile high at Recology Recycle Central in San Francisco.

Standing above a conveyor belt in the Recology center at San Francisco's Pier 96, where the contents of the city's blue bins get sorted before being sent to recycling plants, it's clear there is some confusion about what can and cannot be recycled.

Along with the scraps of paper, water bottles and soda cans are plastic bags, child-size sunglasses and a torn bed sheet — random nonrecyclables that workers and robots will have to remove so they don't gunk up the machinery or dilute the purity of what actually can be recycled.

Recology employees sort through recycled materials to remove items that don't belong at Recology Recycle Central in San Francisco.

Recycling can be confusing, even for the conscientious. Guidelines vary about which bin that coffee cup lid, milk carton or yogurt container belongs to, depending on the recycling service where you live. But paying a little bit of attention can make a difference, waste experts say.

"Look, we’re in a society that moves fast," said Robert Reed, public relations manager at Recology.

"The ask is simple," he said. "When you’re discarding something, take a moment and be better at the bin."

Californians in general could do better. The state recycles or composts about 42% of its trash, far short of its goal of 75%, according to the state agency CalRecycle — and many materials put in the trash could be recycled.

In San Francisco, Pier 96 handles about 500 tons of recycling from the blue bins a day. Of that, 18% to 20% goes to a landfill, more than half of which is plastic, according to Recology. Much of that plastic simply doesn't have a market for recycling, according to Recology.

Piles of crushed cans in the baling area at Recology Recycle Central in San Francisco.

Recology reliably finds buyers for plastic labeled No. 1 (water bottles and other clear jugs) and No. 2 (opaque jugs and bottles such as for milk, laundry detergent and shampoo), and usually for No. 5 (yogurt containers) and clear clamshells (such as the kind used for to-go meals and salad greens), said Reed, but not all municipalities do.

Those nuances help explain how confusing recycling can be. Yet, most recycling companies have similar guidelines for keeping the recycling system efficient.

Their suggestions follow. But even better, you can cut down on what goes to landfill by avoiding single-use plastics, said Reed. Make sure you always have a reusable shopping bag, water bottle and coffee cup with you for impromptu shopping trips or cafe stops, Reed urges.

"If you don't need it, don't buy it," he said. "Take the problem out of the equation."

Quality control workers do a final sort of recycled materials as they pass down a fast conveyor belt at Recology Recycle Central in San Francisco.

Here's what not to put in the recycling bin:

Metallic or plastic holiday wrapping paper. Instead, look for types that feel like regular paper, without shiny or plastic coatings. If you can crumple it and it stays crumpled, or it rips easily, it's likely recyclable, according to the Resourceful app via the Ecology Center in Berkeley.

Unflattened cardboard boxes. There's a huge demand for cardboard because of online delivery, but it needs to be compact. Break down boxes to allow other items to fit in the recycling bin and so you can close the lid to keep paper dry. Check with your recycling company about how to put out extra shipping boxes that don't fit into the bin.

Plastic bags and other filmy plastic. Plastic bags get wrapped around sorting equipment, requiring repairs, and dilute the purity of paper intended for recycling, making it less attractive to buyers. They have little market value and are not currently recycled in San Francisco — though the city still advises people to ball them up and put them in the recycling bin in case it finds a buyer.

Also, it's important to avoid putting your recycling in plastic bags. Because of the large volume handled each day, workers don't have time to open them and the whole bag will likely be sent to landfill.

Random plastic items. Toys, single-use plastic utensils, and products containing several different types of plastic usually can't be recycled. Instead, prioritize bottles, tubs and jugs — such as water bottles, detergent and shampoo bottles, milk jugs, and margarine or yogurt tubs.

Bottles and cans with liquid still in them. Drain liquid from bottles and shake cans dry before placing them in the bin to keep valuable paper and cardboard dry.

Loose lids and caps. While metal bottle caps are recyclable, plastic ones can mess up the recycling line, so screw them back on after emptying soda or water bottles of liquid or toss them in the trash, according to the Resourceful app. Single-use coffee lids officially can go into the blue bin, but there isn't always a buyer for them. Better yet, bring a reusable mug.

Tara Duggan (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @taraduggan