The Do's and Don't's of Recycling

June 12, 2024 Maggie Needs

Downloaded from the City of Cody Website, March 3, 2026

We all know that recycling is the right thing to do, but let’s be honest—it’s not always convenient. At times, it can feel like the rules are a moving target. Every recycling center is set up to handle different types of material, so it’s important to always check with your local municipality before recycling.

In Cody, our mission is to simplify recycling guidelines, making it effortless for citizens to integrate into their daily routines. We can make a difference if we all do our part to recycle!

The Dos

Do clean and rinse any recyclable beverage or food containers. Food, liquid, and oil left in containers can contaminate recycling processes. To avoid leaving particles behind, it is important to thoroughly rinse with water immediately after use.

Do recycle light-colored, clean, dry paper. Paper is the most common item found in a garbage dump. The average office worker uses about two pounds of paper products daily, including computer paper, notecards, envelopes, sticky notes, and flyers. Paper can be recycled as long as it is uncoated, light in color, and dry. To help cut back on the amount of paper in the landfill, we recommend having a designated canister for recyclable paper in your office or home and dropping it off at the Cody Recycling Center as needed.

Do try to reduce and reuse before recycling items. Reducing the amount of waste we produce is critical to cutting back on trash in the landfill. This could be as simple as canceling unwanted magazine subscriptions or mailings. Reusing is just as easy as it sounds—such as finding alternate purposes for items that would otherwise end up in the trash in order to conserve resources. An example is making dust cloths out of old towels and sheets.

Do properly dispose of electronic waste (e-waste). E-waste is collected in the green cabinets located to the north of the Cody Recycling Center building. These items are then sent to OmegaYellow Computing to determine the value of the parts. Since most common electronics are largely made of metal, they can usually be partially recycled. Items such as televisions, monitors, computers, tablets, smartphones, cameras, printers, microwaves, and toasters are also generally recyclable.

The Don’ts

Don't recycle plastic lids or caps. We ask you to remove any lids or caps because some plastics have different melting points than others. Caps also tend to hold on to more residue that can cause risk of contamination. These factors can cause serious problems during the recycling process.

Don't recycle plastic shopping bags or produce bags. Thin plastics such as grocery bags and produce bags can clog up the machines at processing facilities. These items require special equipment are not available to many recycling facilities. Ask your local grocery stores if they have a location to collect plastic bags or buy and use reusable bags when grocery shopping.

Don't recycle tires. Since the introduction of synthetic rubber, it has become extremely difficult to recycle tires. The Park County Regional Landfill does accept tires for a fee.

Don't recycle batteries. Unfortunately, the Cody Recycling Center cannot accept batteries at this time. Batteries are known as hazardous waste and require special handling. The Park County Regional Landfill will accept only car batteries for a fee.

Don't recycle non-corrugated cardboard. Items such as cereal boxes, soda boxes, and beer boxes are examples of non-corrugated cardboard. This material is very different from corrugated cardboard and is mainly composed of glue. Though usually well-intentioned, this material is problematic for the City's recycling service because it delays the sorting process. Mills need pure, non-waxed, corrugated cardboard to make cardboard from recycled stock materials.

The City of Cody's Solid Waste Division strives to improve the overall health and well-being of our community through comprehensive recycling services. Together, we can keep Cody beautiful for future generations and conserve our valuable natural resources.