Michiganders - Don't Throw These Things in Your Recycling

I've written lately about all the things we shouldn't throw in the trash. But, what about recycling our trash.

Recycling is a great idea to avoid filling our landfills with unwanted items that will never go away. Our recycled items can be turned into something useful. However, we may go a little overboard thinking almost everything not in the trash can be recycled and that's not true. There are lots of things not recyclable.

Bay Area Sees Major Spike In Cardboard Recycling After The Holidays — Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The Kent County Department of Public Works Department has an easy guide to what to and not to, recycle.

KEY ITEMS YOU CANNOT RECYCLE

WOOD

WIRE HANGERS

STYROFOAM

BOWLING BALLS

DIAPERS

POTATO CHIP AND SNACK BAGS

BATTERIES AND HAZARDUS MATERIAL

man throws batteries in the trash — Elena Gurova/Getty Images

BUBBLE WRAP

LIGHT BULBS

Power saving concept. Asia man changing compact-fluorescent (CFL) bulbs with new LED light bulb. — Pornpak Khunatorn/Getty Images

PAPER COFFEE CUPS

Take-out blank paper brown coffee cups — victoriya89/Getty Images

CHRISTMAS WRAPPNG & TISSUE PAPER

Surprised? I am by a few of these as I have been throwing them into my recycling. Not anymore!

The Kent County DPW also reminds residents to safely dispose of hazardous materials such as fireworks, cooking oil, propane tanks and ammunition by taking these items to a local drop-off center for safe disposal. These items should never be placed in a trash or recycling bin. For drop-off locations, visit www.reimaginetrash.org.

For a full list of waste and recycling tips, download Kent County DPW’s guide here.