“Recycling is one of the easiest things everyone can do to help our environment,” said DEEP Commissioner Rob Klee. “Recycling begins at home, and is a fun way to engage children in the benefits of helping to protect our planet. I encourage everyone to do their part each day by reducing, reusing and recycling.”

To assist in ensuring a clean recycling stream, RecycleCT in partnership with the DEEP and Connecticut Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), the organizations that process our residential mixed recyclables, last year developed the ‘What’s IN, What’s OUT’ list of acceptable materials for our mixed recycling bins.

The ‘What’s IN, What’s OUT’ campaign has been recognized with regional and national awards for encouraging recycling. With an easy to use widget that provides quick answers to questions about what can and cannot be recycled, short videos highlighting recycling issues, and materials related to recycling that Connecticut cities and towns can share with the residents, RecycleCT.com has become the go to site on the web for all questions regarding recycling in Connecticut.

Since the launch of the ‘What’s IN, What’s OUT’ campaign in 2017, the website has experienced more than 7.4 million impressions, 70,000 web site visits, 104,000 sorting RecycleCT wizard searches and 1.9 million video views.

Pizza Boxes (no food, removed liner)
Plastic take-out containers (rinsed, no food)
Aluminum foil
Milk, juice cartons
Plastic “clam shell” container (not Styrofoam)

Styrofoam/polystyrene
Plastic Bags
Shredded Paper
Battery (non-rechargeable)
Prescription Bottles

RecycleCT Council, which formed as a result of Public Act 14-94, has recently published a report outlining its successes, which includes becoming a non-profit organization with a Board of Directors, distributing over $210,000 in grants for schools, non-profits and municipalities and developing the statewide campaign, What’s IN, What’s OUT, that is working to better inform residents of what goes in the recycling bin and what doesn’t, as well as provide tools and resources to local municipal recycling coordinators.   The Annual Report 2015-2018 includes a few case studies, all of which focus on education and engagement, which leads to action.