Five years, five apartments, and only one had a recycling bin. Yes, I move too much.
As I moved around a lot, I was surprised at how few apartments had recycling practices. I’ve toured dozens of apartments, in addition to the places I’ve lived, and I found very few apartments that had recycling programs.
One apartment complex said it would be too expensive to install recycling bins, while another said they didn’t think residents wanted them. The apartment complex where I currently live has bins, but I regularly see people tossing bags of trash in them, even though they have a giant recycling logo printed on the side. The Recycling Partnership proposes that cities help the 22 million U.S. households who live in apartments recycle by implementing policies that require landlords, who are not normally required to provide recycling services, to provide blue bins in apartment buildings.
“Focusing on multifamily recycling is especially important as an intentional effort to improve equity in residential recycling,” said Craig Wittig, community programs director for the Recycling Partnership. August 2021 ReportThe organization has published a toolkit with useful information for use in apartments and other multi-dwelling buildings.
Recycling in an apartment may seem like an impossible task, but it doesn’t have to be. Below are the four steps our family took to start recycling in our apartment. I hope you’ll incorporate these steps into your own life and start recycling too.
1. Start simple
When we started recycling in our new apartment, we focused on just a few materials. These were materials for which we could find a local recycling drop-off point.
Focusing on materials that are easy to recycle will have the biggest impact. Here are some suggestions:
- #1 Plastic (Water Bottle)*
- #2 Plastic (Milk Bottle)*
- cardboard
- Paperboard (cereal and snack boxes)
- Aluminum cans
- newspaper
- Office paper
- Grocery Bags (Paper and Plastic (#2 or #4))*
- Transparent glass
*See our plastic recycling codes infographic to learn what these numbers mean.
If your city has recycling facilities, there’s a good chance they’ll accept at least some of these items, and it’s a good idea to keep your list relatively short in case you have to visit multiple locations to throw out items.
2. Find a drop-off location near you
Before you start looking for a drop-off location, you might want to talk to someone at your apartment complex’s office. During the first month of living in our current apartment, we took our recycling to a nearby drop-off location. One day, we discovered a recycling bin hidden behind a wall in our apartment, unmarked. That discovery made our life so much easier.
So check to see if your apartment building has hidden recycling bins, or they may know of local recycling drop-off locations.
If they can’t help you, try the Earth911 Recycling Search. Just enter the material you want to recycle and your zip code to find dozens of local drop-off locations.
If you can’t find results in the Earth911 directory, visit your city’s website and search their recycling page. Your city may have recently added a recycling drop-off location in your area that isn’t yet listed in the Earth911 recycling directory.
3. Choose a place to put your trash can
This may seem obvious, but if you live in a small apartment, it can be hard to find space for both a recycling bin and a trash can. In my previous apartment, my recyclables would often just pile up on top of the dryer until I could take them to the local recycling drop-off point. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked.
The main things to consider are accessibility and visibility. When you’re rushing around the kitchen packing lunches or making breakfast, it’s easy to forget that the recycling bin is there and end up tossing an empty cereal box in the trash.
Seeing the recycling bin out in the open makes me think about recycling much more than when it’s tucked away in the back of the pantry.
4. Encourage neighborhood participation
Remember in step 2 when you spoke to your apartment manager about recycling? You should also ask them to let other residents know about local recycling options.
If your apartment complex isn’t sure what recycling options are available in their neighborhood, let them know about the Earth911 Recycling Search. You can also encourage your apartment complex to email recycling information to all residents.
Getting to know your neighbors can encourage them to recycle too. Simply let them know that you’ve found a local recycling drop-off point in case they’re looking for one. Lots of people recycle, they just need a little help. You can also set up a schedule for neighbors to take turns picking up a few units to make it easier for everyone. Ready to set up a community recycling program? Our online guide will walk you through the steps.
If people know what to recycle and where to recycle, they are more likely to actually do so.
2016 Pew Research Center Study on RecyclingPeople who live in communities that value recycling have more recycling options, and while it may not seem like a big deal, encouraging those around you to start recycling will help increase the recycling options in your area.
Editor’s note: This article was first published on May 2, 2017 and updated in July 2024.
