Can I Recycle This?: A Guide to Better Recycling and How to Reduce Single-Use Plastics

“If you’ve ever been perplexed by the byzantine rules of recycling, you’re not alone…you’ll want to read Can I Recycle This?... An extensive look at what you can and cannot chuck into your blue bin.” —The Washington Post

The first illustrated guidebook that answers the age-old question: Can I Recycle This?

Since the dawn of the recycling system, men and women the world over have stood by their bins, holding an everyday object, wondering, "can I recycle this?" This simple question reaches into our concern for the environment, the care we take to keep our homes and our communities clean, and how we interact with our local government. Recycling rules seem to differ in every municipality, with exceptions and caveats at every turn, leaving the average American scratching her head at the simple act of throwing something away. Taking readers on a quick but informative tour of how recycling actually works (setting aside the propaganda we were all taught as kids), Can I Recycle This gives straightforward answers to whether dozens of common household objects can or cannot be recycled, as well as the information you need to make that decision for anything else you encounter. 

Jennie Romer has been working for years to help cities and states across America better deal with the waste we produce, helping draft meaningful legislation to help communities better process their waste and produce less of it in the first place. She has distilled her years of experience into this non-judgmental, easy-to-use guide that will change the way you think about what you throw away and how you do it.

Jennie Romer is a lawyer, sustainability expert, founder of PlasticBagLaws.org, and former Legal Associate for the Surfrider Foundation’s Plastic Pollution Initiative. She is the author of Can I Recycle This? and has worked on plastic pollution reduction policy for nearly 15 years

Christie Young is an artist and illustrator currently based in Austin, Texas. She’s collaborated with clients of all shapes and sizes, ranging from Penguin Random House to Bumble to Madewell. Her work is a reflection of her interests in nature, travel, and storytelling.