Only recycle clean and dry, paper, cardboard, bottles, and cans. Don’t attempt to recycle plastic. “When in doubt, throw it out.” China used to be the world’s number one importer of recyclables, but in 2017 they stopped accepting it. There is no federal recycling program in the US; municipalities have contracts with private companies; stuff gets recycled only if it makes economic sense.
Is Recycling in the US a Big Lie?
It's also important to push the idea of REDUCE and REUSE, before we get to RECYCLE :).