How to Recycle in Your Apartment
The challenge is to find creative ways to use your limited space.
1. Determine what materials you'd like to recycle.
The City recycling drop-off sites accept the following materials:
- Newspaper
- Cardboard boxes and fiberboard
- Packaging (i.e. cereal boxes)
- Aluminum and tin cans
- Glass bottles and jars
- Plastic #1-5 containers
- Residential mixed paper (i.e. junk mail, magazines, catalogs, telephone books)

2. Choose a handy spot in your apartment for recycling containers.
Kitchen:
- Use door knobs and behind the door hooks to hang reusable bags with lighter recyclables such as flattened plastic containers.
- Slide containers into cabinets, under tables, bakers racks or other utility stands.
- A container under the sink can be a convenient place to store rinsed plastic, metal and glass.
- To make more space in your kitchen, store tools and appliances that you use infrequently in other parts of your apartment.

Closet / Laundry / Pantry:
These offer other out-of-sight storage for recyclables.
- Clear extra space on shelving units.
- Place containers on the floor inside a closet or pantry.
Bathroom:
Many products used in the bathroom are packaged in recyclable material such as plastic and paperboard.
- Place a container next to the regular bathroom trash for items such as shampoo bottles, soap boxes and toilet paper tubes.
Office Area:
This area near the computer and printer produces a lot of paper waste.
- Locate the recycling container for office paper and newspaper next to or under the desk.
- Additional space might be available in a slide out drawer.
- Hang a reusable bag on a knob, hook or handle.

3. Find the nearest drop off site.
When containers become full take them to a recycling drop-off site.
- You'll find one of the drop-off sites in the City on your routes to work, school or errands.
- You will want to regularly wipe out the container with hot water and sanitizing solution.

4. Establish a routine.
Make sorting and dropping off recyclables part of your household chores.
- Rinse or wash cans and bottles and remove the lids. Labels can remain on the container.
- Flatten cans and plastic bottles to save space.
- Anything that comes with the newspaper can be recycled with the newspaper (except the plastic bag).
- Remove packing material from cardboard boxes and paperboard packaging.
- You do not need to remove paper clips and staples on office paper and magazines.
5. Stay connected.
- Watch for media updates on recycling and community recycling events such as paper shredding, latex paint exchanges and electronic and household hazardous waste collections.
- Share tips and tell your friends, family and neighbors about your recycling system.
- Visit recycle.lincoln.ne.gov.
- Look for us on Facebook: facebook.com/LincolnRecycles