When residents have a recycling question, their first stop is most likely Google.

Even if your municipality’s website offers detailed guidelines or downloadable recycling PDFs, most residents will turn to the easiest and fastest path to information—searching online.

While they may get a correct answer, search results aren't always reliable. Often, top results provide generic, conflicting, or confusing information, leading to contamination, loss of recyclable materials, frustration with recycling rules, and even spikes in service call volume.

The Problem with Search Results for Recycling Questions

Search engines are designed to return the most helpful content, but that doesn’t always mean the most accurate local answers. If a resident googles something like “Are coffee cups recyclable in South Plainfield, New Jersey?,” they might get a correct response:

Even if the query is clear and direct, Google may choose to serve an article with national guidelines or advice from a different city or state. AI-enhanced features, like Google’s AI Overview, can further complicate things, as this feature can misconstrue data. For example, if a resident googles, “Are glasses recyclable in Boise, Idaho?” they will get the following result:

In reality, glass is not accepted in Boise, Idaho’s regular curbside collection.

It's even more complicated if a resident googles something more general, like “Are batteries recyclable?”.

Rules often vary from municipality to municipality, and as MRF technology continues to evolve, it’s likely that the answer won’t match your local rules. Residents may read that result, toss the item in the wrong receptacle, and continue incorrectly disposing of that item.  

Beyond commonly misunderstood materials, our research shows that residents are looking to do better when it comes to even the trickiest of materials. Their searches include:

• Aerosol cans
• Old makeup
• Styrofoam
• Lightbulbs
• Unused fireworks

The list goes on. To make sure your residents know how to handle curbside sorting correctly, you need to meet them where they are, and that's by providing a quick, easy solution.

The Difference the “What Goes Where” Tool Makes

Recycle Coach’s “What Goes Where” search tool allows residents to search for any item to check if it belongs in the recycling, compost, or trash. All results are catered to local rules, so residents get the correct answer for every item.

Our partners can browse most-searched items, compare search stats to other locations, and gain insight on problem contaminants, which can all paint a larger picture of what items need to be focused on when educating their residents.  

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The bottom line: you don’t need to compete with Google. By providing residents with centralized information that’s easy to find, navigate, and use, you can reduce resident confusion—and contamination.