RECYCLING SORTING WORKSHEET
Learning Cadence | Original exercise | 1 November 2026

YOUR ITEM
Item and what it is made of:
Shape (flat, round, small, large):
Is it magnetic? (try a fridge magnet on a can):
Resin number, if plastic:
Clean, or food residue left:
Does your local program list this item type? Source checked:

PRACTICE
A program accepts cans, cardboard and plastic bottles loose in one bin.
1. A rinsed aluminum can. Which machine recovers it?
2. Six clean bottles inside a tied plastic bag. Are they likely to be recovered?
3. A plastic tub with a resin number the local list does not mention. Does the number make it accepted?

ANSWER CHECK
1. Not the magnet. The eddy current separator repels non-ferrous metal such as aluminum.
2. Likely not. Bagged recyclables are hard to recover. Put the bottles in loose and take the bag to a store drop off if one exists.
3. No. The number identifies the resin, not local acceptance. Check the list for that item type.

TRANSFER
A paper coffee cup with a plastic lining. What two questions settle whether it belongs in your bin?
Answer: Does your program accept that item, and can its facility separate the materials? Paper content alone does not answer either.

Facilities differ in equipment and order. Your local program's current list is the rule for your bin.