Recycling Basics: Paper, Plastic, Glass, Metal & Textiles

Recycling turns used materials back into useful products. A few simple preparation steps make the whole chain work.

Recycling is the easiest way most households can cut waste and save resources. But "recyclable" does not mean "anything goes in the blue bin" — how you prepare items decides whether they actually get reused. Here is a quick reference for the five main streams.

Paper & Cardboard

Newspapers, magazines, office paper, and clean cardboard are highly recyclable. Keep them dry and clean: a greasy fast-food box or a used paper cup belongs in other waste, not the paper stream. Flatten boxes to save space.

Plastics

Bottles, tubs, and rigid containers (PET, HDPE, PP) recycle well when emptied and rinsed. Film, bags, and polystyrene are harder to process and are often excluded — check local rules. Cleaning and flattening bottles sharply improves quality.

Glass

Bottles and jars are infinitely recyclable. Rinse them, remove lids (metal lids are usually recyclable too), and avoid breaking them — shattered glass is dangerous and hard to sort. Ceramics and heat-resistant glass go to other waste.

Metal

Aluminium cans and steel tins are valuable and energy-efficient to recycle; recycling aluminium uses only a fraction of the energy needed for new metal. Empty, rinse, and crush cans if local facilities prefer it.

Textiles

Clean clothing and fabric can be donated, resold, or shredded into industrial fibre. Only severely damaged items belong in other waste. Dropping usable clothes in the general bin wastes a reusable resource.

The Golden Rule: Empty, Rinse, Flatten

• Empty all containers so no food or liquid remains.
• Rinse off residue that could spoil a batch.
• Flatten boxes and bottles to make collection efficient.

Go Further

Not sure whether something is recyclable? Use the Garbage Search tool, and read our guide to the four waste categories. The Chinese knowledge base at 061s.com/zhishi covers hundreds of specific items.