One great start is to find the right agency to contact in order to find out what is actually collected near you as well as how it is collected. A phone book can be a good source for doing this. Look under environmental departments, public works, solid waste, or recycling. These names can vary, so sometimes it’s best to check with the National Recycling Coalition’s state resources list or earth911.org for a ZIP code approach. 

Once you find out what you can do to contribute, be sure and sort your recyclables according to your community’s collection guidelines. Some may ask for glass, plastic, and paper to be separated or perhaps to have boxes and containers flattened. If you need to rinse something, only rinse what is really smelly or sticky; this saves water. However, all recyclables should be clean. If you are not sure on an item, your best bet is to wash it out or throw it out though. A greasy box or wet cardboard, for example, can contaminate an entire bale of paper! Just remember that a recycling facility is there to recycle, not to deal with un-recyclable or contaminated material! 

-LINKS-

phone book 
National Recycling Coalition’s state resources list 
earth911.org