Politics & Government

Facts about 'Recycle Together RI'

With today's ceremonial opening of the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation's renovated Material Recycling Facility, there's a new way to recycle in Rhode Island.


This morning, Gov. Lincoln Chafee and a group of state and local officials (MRF) on the grounds of the at the Central Landfill in Johnston.

The event kicks off the new "Recycle Together RI" program, which will allow East Greenwich residents to combine recyclables in the bins they already have, instead of separating the paper from plastic.

In addition, you will now be able to recycle a much wider variety of plastic items. New items include:

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  • jars from mayo, peanut butter, jelly  
  • tubs from butter, ice cream, margarine  
  • plastic take-out containers  
  • iced coffee cups  
  • yogurt containers  
  • plastic egg cartons
  • wrapping and tissue paper

Some of the items that cannot be recycled include:

  • Scrap metal, like pots, pans, hangers, wires, appliances, chains, cables, nuts, bolts;
  • Plastic shopping bags — RIRRC instructs residents to return the bags to stores, and don't pack recyclables in bags;
  • Refrigerated and frozen food boxes, like boxes from butter, pizza, beer, soda, TV dinners;
  • Containers larger than 2 gallons and non-container plastic, like toys;
  • Hybrid packaging (metal/paper/plastic mix), like oatmeal and chip canisters, K‐cups;
  • Greasy pizza boxes;
  • Clothing and textiles;
  • Chip bags and candy wrappers;
  • Styrofoam;
  • Lightbulbs and household hazardous waste
  • Sharps (used medical syringes).

For a full list of does and don'ts, refer to RIRRC's new website about the program. The PDF attached provides guidelines for how to dispose of the items on the "don't" list.

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For more information, visit the RIRRC's Recycle Together RI website, call (401) 942-1430, or submit a question via their contact page.


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