FAQ's ABOUT ACCEPTED MATERIALS:

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Do my materials need to be separated  when I bring them to the center? And if so, why? 

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• Yes, all materials that come into the Sunfield Recycling Center need to be separated. This is because the material collected at the site is sold directly to material buyers, rather than sent to a material recovery/processing facility where they sort and separate materials. 

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Do I need to do anything to my materials before bringing them to the Sunfield Recycling Center for recycling? 

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• Yes, you need to do four things to your materials before bringing them to recycle at the center: ​

  1. Make sure the materials are clean - For example, plastic bottles, cans, and other containers that contained food need to be rinsed out so that food residue does not remain on the items.   ​

  2. Separate your materials by individual type - For example, magazines (as a paper product) not only need to be separated from plastics but also need to be separate from other paper types.

  3. Remove the caps/lids from plastic bottles - For example, laundry detergent caps need to be removed from the bottle in order for them to be brought to the center. 

  4. Remove items from bags or external packaging. For example, you will need to remove your materials from plastic bags, disposable plastic baggies, and/or remove the cellophane wrapping on the materials.

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Why can't I recycle plastics other than #1, #2, and #5? Why do some recycle centers take certain materials that other recycle centers won't? ​​

• There are a variety of reasons why materials are/are not accepted at different recycling centers. Three of the major reasons:

  • Location of the center - ​it can be expensive to ship materials to material buyers or there might not be a material buyer close enough to offer material transportation

  • Material market values - the value (or lack of value) of materials depends on the market which is dynamic and frequently changes

  • Storage regulations and safety requirements - While some less common materials are recyclable, such as CFL light bulbs or mercury containing thermometers/thermostats, they have special handling or transportation requirements that a specific center may not be able to accommodate.

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