Seattle's Recycling Process

What happens to Seattle's Recycling?

Putting your recyclables in your blue bin is the first step of the recycling process.

First, your recyclables are brought to a Material Recovery Facility where they are sorted into similar materials, baled together, and sold to material reprocessors and product manufacturers to be recycled into something new.

• Step 1: Recycling is picked up by the collection truck
• Step 2: Recyclables are taken to a Material Recovery Facility (MRF)
• Step 3: Recyclables are sorted by people and machines at the MRF
• Step 4: Sorted materials are baled together to be sold
• Step 5: Bales are sent to recyclers to be made into new things

Watch how the materials are sorted and baled together

Where Seattle's Recyclables Go

The recycling industry has gone through big changes recently: when China stopped accepting recyclables in late 2017, there was a need for new places to send recyclable materials.

For Seattle, this meant finding new markets for:

• mixed paper - magazines, office paper, and newspaper
• mixed plastic - yogurt tubs and to-go containers

Since then, new recyclers have started up and other recyclers have increased operations. For Seattle, this means most of our recyclables are now being recycled in North America.

SPU is committed to responsibly recycling your paper, metal, glass, and plastics. We work closely with our contracted MRF operator, Republic Services, to ensure recyclables are successfully sorted and sent for recycling. We are also working to expand recycling markets here in Washington, and across the U.S.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Seattle's recyclables going to the landfill?

No. The City's contracted Material Recovery Facility (MRF) is not allowed to send Seattle's recyclables to the landfill. Seattle's recyclables continue to be sorted and shipped, domestically and internationally. Destinations and markets for Seattle's recyclables vary from month to month and year to year.

How do global changes in recycling affect Seattle's customers and recycling?

Seattle remains committed to ensuring that recyclables collected are successfully processed and responsibly recycled. Customers should continue to follow existing recycling guidelines and put only accepted materials in the recycling bins. Reducing contamination increases the value and feasibility of recycling. Make sure recyclables are empty, clean, and dry, as food and liquids contaminate recyclables. We encourage customers to focus on reducing contamination in the recyclables they sort out at home, work, and in their community.

What is contamination in recyclables?

Contamination is any material in the recycle bins that is not accepted in Seattle’s curbside recycling program. It is also anything that is different from the sorted material.

A bale of paper with anything other than paper in it is contaminated. Contamination can include other materials like plastics, metal, or food or liquids mixed into baled material.

Recyclable materials need to be sorted by type before they are shipped to be made into new products. This process happens at a local material recovery facility (MRF), where the materials are sorted by machines and people. When food, liquids and materials that are not accepted for recycling are sent to the MRF, the machinery and system can’t sort them out, and they end up in the bales as contaminants.

What can customers do to #RecycleRight?

Make sure all recyclables are empty, clean and dry: To ensure recyclables are able to be recycled and to decrease contamination. Containers that previously contained food or liquid should be rinsed and wiped or air-dried.

When in doubt, find out: Recycle only materials that are accepted in Seattle’s curbside recycling program. Check Seattle’s recycling guidelines to ensure you're putting the correct materials in the recycle cart. You can also look up 1000’s of items on SPU's Where Does It Go Tool.

Be sure to put materials loose in the cart: do not bag or box recyclables. Plastic bags damage the machinery at the recycling centers and put employees in danger. Bagged recyclables can also be confused for trash.