Baltimore City Curbside Recycling Quiz - Results!

Over 500 Baltimoreans have taken our recycling quiz so far. If you haven't, please take it first before reading the following.

Disclaimer aside, on with the results!

Overall, 67% who started it finished it, which is pretty good for a quiz of this length according to the people at Qzzr

The average score was also -- interesting enough -- 67% correct.

So which questions were most difficult?

Image of a wet newspaper with a plastic bag wrapper. Image of a peanut butter container with some peanut butter left. Trending up graphic.
#1: How to properly recycle a wet newspaper in a plastic bag. Only 40% chose the correct answer, which was to remove the bag, recycle the newspaper curbside and put the bag with other bags for recycling at a place that accepts them, like most grocery stores.

#2: Recycling a peanut butter jar that still has some peanut butter in it. 43% chose the correct answer -- that you can let the dog lick it till it's fairly clean and then recycle. Food containers need to be mostly clean, but don't need to be spotless.

#3: How much has Baltimore recycling increased since switching to a single bin for all recycling? Recycling has gone up around 30% since the change, and 47% answered the question correctly. When the program first launched, according to Recycling Coordinator Robert Murrow, recycling increased 50%, which is what 30% of quiz takers answered. Since the launch of single-bin recycling, recycling has "plateaued to a 30% increase."


Beyond those three questions, over half answered each question correctly. Congrats to all for doing so well! Following is a list of the rest of the questions and the correct answers. Some have been altered slightly so they make sense without the photo.

Q:  I've shredded all my secret files. Can I recycle them?
A: Sure, throw them in a paper bag and recycle away. (51% answered correctly)

Q: What do I do with plastic bottles with lids?
A: Put everything in recycling, no need to remove the lids. (52%)

Q: Can anything with a recycling symbol on it be recycled?
A: No, there are some things that can't be recycled via curbside pickup even though they have the correct coding (1 - 7), such as plastic shopping bags. (54%)

Q: I can't believe I ate the whole thing. What should I do with this empty pizza box now?
A: Recycle it curbside, as long as it's not contaminated with a lot of food scraps. (56%)

Q: How about this padded shipping envelope?
A: Recycle it as is. (61%)

Q: I finally received my order of irregular Beanie Babies from eBay. Can I recycle the heavily taped box they came in?
A: Yes. (63%)

Q: Can I recycle plastic shopping bags? They have a type 2 HDPE recycling symbol on them.
A: Yes, but they cannot be recycled curbside. (64%)

Q: I have a couple of light bulbs I need to get rid of. What do I do with them?
A: Recycle the CFL at a place that accepts them and put the incandescent (regular) bulb in the trash. (67%)

Q: What about empty plastic containers that once contained harsh household cleaners?
A: Recycle them. (72%)

Q: What should I do with this stack of junk mail?
A: Throw it all in the recycling bin. (79%)

Q: When thinking about recycling, the best philosophy to take is...
A: When in doubt, try to recycle it. (79%)

Q: What is the most often found contaminant/unwanted item in Baltimore curbside recycling?
A: Flimsy plastics such as bags, cheese wrappers, films over microwavable dinners, etc. (89%)

Q: What should I do with paper milk and juice cartons with a plastic spout?
A: Recycle them. (91%)

Q: Oh no! My can of clam juice has a lining. Can I recycle it?
A: Yes. (92%)

Q: Is recycling the same across the country?
A: No (96%)


Bonus! Here's an answer to a question that was asked by a quiz taker that wasn't in the quiz:
Q: Can I recycle those fast food drink cups that are paper with a plastic lid and straw? How about the to-go cups that you get from coffee shops?
A: You can recycle the paper cups, but not plastic lids, straws or plastic cups. Styrofoam cups could be collected and dropped off at the Sisson Street location where there is a dumpster for Styrofoam


Thanks to all who took the quiz and shared it with others. Hope you found it useful! A special thanks also to Baltimore City Recycling Coordinator Robert Murrow for taking the time to answer all our questions.

Finally, check out these related blog posts:

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