That pizza box you've been throwing away? You can recycle it now.
Portland recently updated its recycling guidelines and a few common household items have new rules.
🍕 The biggest change is that pizza boxes can now go in your blue bin, so long as they're empty and not too saucy (in that case, compost it).
Yes, but: Plastic pizza tables, grated cheese and red pepper packets as well as greasy paper liners go in the trash.
🧃 A few other updates: Plastic screw caps can remain on plastic bottles when you toss 'em. Caps on cardboard cartons are still not accepted. Put those in the trash.
Aerosol cans must be completely empty before you can recycle them. Make sure to press all the way down on the nozzle until nothing comes out. Partially full cans can explode in the recycling facility and injure workers.
📝 Plus: Shredded paper goes in the garbage, unless you take it to a recycling drop-off site.
🤖 The bottom line: These changes are meant to standardize recycling rules across the state as Oregon moves to modernize more of its recycling facilities.
New technology — including AI-powered sorting equipment — can do a better job separating recyclable materials from contaminants, making it easier to recover more of what residents put in the bin.
