If you want to start recycling some of the items you commonly have cluttering up your house, you’ll need to come up with an organizational system that you can stick to no matter what. The organizational system will help to keep your house from getting cluttered with recyclables, but it will also help you to keep everything organized so that having your recyclables picked up or dropping them off at a recycling center is not a hassle at all. Organizing your recyclables starts with setting up your system and then maintaining it each and every week for the best results.

Developing a System

You’ll need to sort your recyclables to keep them organized, so you may want to buy several large bins or heavy duty trash cans so you can sort your recyclables each day instead of doing them all at once in a session that may take hours. You’ll need to buy your containers and then mark them if you have other family members who need reminding about what recyclables go where.

Preparing Your Items for Recycling

You need to follow the instructions given by your community recycling center or municipal pickup group so you can be sure that all of your items are accepted. Cans should be rinsed out and put in their own separate bin. Bottle should also be rinsed out. Any caps or safety seals should be removed from bottles before putting them in your bottle container. Newspapers need to be bundled together so they’re not escaping all over the place and causing a mess. Magazines may also have to be bundled together so that they are in neat stacks and don’t cause a mess. Plastic bottles should be rinsed out and have the lids removed before you place them in the bin designated for plastic. Once you start your system, keep up with it every time by washing out bottles and cans each time you use them and keeping the newspapers and magazines in manageable stacks.

Having Your R