Week of August 17, 2025 – August 23, 2025
by Katie McLaughlin, Environmental Educator
Have you heard of the 3 R’s? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. This camp season at Baltimore Woods, campers had a wonderful opportunity to learn about the recycling rules for Onondaga county!
While many of us know our basics of what to recycle like paper and plastic – there are certain rules that go along with each of those materials for items to actually be recycled.
Starting with paper, our campers learned that most cardboard boxes can be recycled. But if it is something that goes into the fridge or freezer it can’t be recycled due to a layer of plastic that coats the outside. Eventually even cardboard that has been recycled can’t be anymore like egg cartons as the paper fibers will be too small.
There are two main rules for plastic. First being “big body, skinny neck” if the body of the container is big and the neck of the container smaller it can be recycled. If the plastic container doesn’t follow that rule, there is still a second chance for it to be recycled! If the container holds dairy and you can stack it, it can also be recycled.
Flexible plastics, like wrappers, unfortunately cannot be recycled.
Depending on where you live, recycling rules may differ because of what the local recycling plants can accept. However, if you follow the 3 R’s in order, you can limit what is going into your recycling bin. Reducing your consumption, reusing materials (get crafty!), and finally recycling when you can.
Do you know what you can truly recycle for your area? For Onondaga County, check out the resources from OCRRA here!