It's National Recycling Day: Check your blue bins; you're probably doing it wrong

It's a similar struggle for many: You walk up to the recycling bin, look down at the item in your hand and ask yourself, "Is this recyclable?"

As climate change in Austin becomes more and more apparent, folks may find themselves tossing plastic cutlery, styrofoam and even H-E-B plastic grocery bags into the recycling in hopes that they get diverted from the landfill and turned into something useful once again.

The process of throwing unrecyclable items into the recycling bin is known as "wishcycling," and it's actually doing more harm than good. On this National Recycling Day, the American-Statesman asked the city some of the most burning questions about what goes into the blue bin or, for apartment dwellers, the city's recycling dumpsters.

More:5 ways you can help tackle climate change in Austin right now

What plastic items can be recycled?

Austin residents are encouraged to recycle hard plastics, such as water and soda bottles, jars and tubs, toys that are not battery powered, buckets, baskets and lawn chairs.

If you're recycling a plastic bottle or jug, remember to keep the cap secured when placing it in your blue bin. If you place the bottle cap separate from the bottle, the cap cannot be processed through the recycling machines.

Are red Solo cups recyclable?

A survey by HomeAdvisor found that Austin-area residents are most curious about whether red Solo cups are recyclable.

In Austin, red Solo cups can be recycled with the city's regular pickup service. So after your next holiday party, feel free to toss them into your blue bin.

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Can I recycle plastic bags?

The answer to that question is no — and yes. The city of Austin does not allow plastic bags, including freezer or any type of plastic grocery bags, in its residential recycling because they often get caught inside the machines and break them.

So, what can you do with all of those plastic grocery bags once their lifespans run out?

Grocery stores often will accept unwanted plastic bags and recycle them in ways that don't harm the sorting machines. Austin's Recycle & Reuse Drop-off Center, at 2514 Business Center Drive in Southeast Austin, does the same. The center, near Ben White Boulevard and Todd Lane, accepts any and all plastic bags, but drop-off appointments are required. Appointments can be easily made online at austintexas.gov/dropoffschedule.

City leaders are still encouraging residents to stop using plastic bags altogether, asking everyone to switch to reusable bags instead.

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What about styrofoam?

Styrofoam is recyclable, but again just not in the blue bin. This item needs special processing, so it needs to be dropped off by appointment at the city's Recycle & Reuse Drop Off Center. This includes Styrofoam packaging, cups and to-go containers, so long as the items are clean and dry.

Styrofoam packing peanuts are too small to be processed, so you should reuse or avoid them altogether whenever possible. "We recommend replacing Styrofoam with reusable items or other materials when possible," city officials said in a statement. "For example, you could bring your own reusable container to take leftovers home in rather than using the Styrofoam container provided."

This recycling idea from the city also makes a good case to be a Statesman subscriber: "Consider reusing newspaper as a packing material rather than purchasing packing peanuts."

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Midterms are over; how do I recycle my election signs?

Take your election signs to the Recycle & Reuse Drop-off Center to be recycled; no appointment is necessary for those items. There will be a collection box out front for signs only (corrugated plastic signs and metal frames that hold them will be accepted).

What common items should be in the recycling bin but often aren't?

"Glass bottles and aluminum cans can be recycled an infinite number of times; they do not degrade or lose quality when recycled," city leaders said. "However, they take thousands of years to break down in the landfill.

"Not only is aluminum 100% recyclable, but it also uses 95% less energy to recycle an old can into a new one. But, Americans still throw away more than 1 million tons of aluminum each year."

What about old batteries and electronics?

Old batteries and electronics should never be placed in a residential recycling bin, as they can easily start fires at sorting facilities.

Many electronics are accepted at the city's Recycle & Reuse Drop-Off Center.

People with electronics that are still usable can search the Austin Reuse Directory to find a location to donate, sell, repair or rent used items. Residents of Austin, Cedar Park and Round Rock all have access to the locations within the directory.

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Can I recycle plastic cutlery?

Every plastic fork, spoon or knife you put into your recycling bin will eventually end up in the landfill. Those items are too small to recycle, so residents should actively try to avoid using them.

Purchasing a reusable, travel-sized cutlery set can help reduce the estimated 40 billion pieces of plastic cutlery thrown away each year.

I don't have compost pickup; what should I do?

Items that should only go into composting include greasy pizza boxes, napkins and other soiled paper. These items, unfortunately, have to go into the trash if composting is not available. But if the top of the pizza box is clean of grease and food, then it can be torn off and recycled.

For apartment dwellers who want to learn how to compost, there are several at-home, do-it-yourself composting bins available for under $100. You can then compost at home, turning food waste and soiled paper products into new soil for your garden or house plants.

More:As Austin weighs compost pickup for apartments to reduce landfill volume, challenges persist

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: National Recycling Day: Check blue bins; you're likely doing it wrong