Can you recycle bottle caps?

♻️ RecycleYes — but leave the plastic cap screwed onto the empty bottle.

Plastic bottle caps are recyclable, but a loose cap is too small — it falls through the sorting screens. The fix is easy: empty and rinse the bottle, then screw the cap back on so it rides through the system attached to the bottle. Metal caps from glass bottles are different — see below.

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Plastic caps → leave them on

This is the current guidance almost everywhere: keep the cap on the empty, rinsed plastic bottle. Loose caps thrown in on their own are usually too small to capture and end up as trash or litter.

Metal bottle caps & jar lids

Small steel bottle caps (from glass beer/soda bottles) are recyclable as metal, but loose ones are too small for curbside — collect them inside a steel food can and crimp it shut, or trash them. Large metal jar lids can go in the blue cart loose.

Reuse / caps-for-good

Some craft and school programs collect clean plastic caps. Otherwise, on-the-bottle is the reliable recycling route.

Bottle Caps — quick FAQ

Can you recycle bottle caps?
Yes — screw the plastic cap back onto the empty, rinsed bottle so it's big enough to be sorted. Loose caps are too small and fall through the machines.
Should I leave the cap on or take it off?
Leave plastic caps ON the empty bottle for recycling — that's the current guidance. (Older advice to remove them was for a different sorting era.)
Are metal bottle caps recyclable?
Steel caps from glass bottles are recyclable as metal, but loose ones are too small — collect them in a steel can and crimp it shut, or trash them.

Related

Can you recycle aluminum cansCan you recycle glassWhat can I recycle?

Not sure about something else? Point your camera at it and RecycleLens tells you the right bin.