Recycling container

A recycling container to aid in preventing contamination of the recycling within the container with non-recyclable material, said recycling container comprising:

• a top, a bottom, and a plurality of sides:
• the top comprising an inside, an outside, and a plurality of edges, said plurality of edges equal to the number of sides of the plurality of sides;
• the bottom comprising an inside, an outside, and a plurality of edges, said plurality of edges equal to the number of sides of the plurality of sides;
• each side of the plurality of sides has a top edge, a bottom edge, a left edge, and a right edge;
• the left edge of each side of the plurality of sides is attached to the right edge of the adjacent side of the plurality of sides such that the total number of the plurality of sides forms an enclosure;
• each edge of the plurality of edges of the bottom is attached to a bottom edge of each side of the plurality of sides such that the plurality of sides and the bottom form a container;
• the container comprising an outside and an inside;
• along the top edge of one of the sides of the plurality of sides is a hinge mechanism that attaches to one of the edges of the plurality of edges of the top such that the top can be raised and lowered while still being attached to the side;
• in the top, on the edge opposite the edge with the hinge mechanism, there is a locking mechanism, said locking mechanism locking the top of the recycling container to the corresponding side of the plurality of sides so that the recycling container cannot be opened without unlocking the locking mechanism;
• the top further comprising a plurality of holes, wherein the plurality holes is defined as at least one hole;
• said plurality of holes passing through the outside and into the inside and being in the shape of a recyclable material;
• in at least one of one of the sides of the plurality of sides or the top is a slot, said slot designed to allow paper or cardboard to pass through from outside the container into the inside of the container
• a shelf and a lip located on the inside of the recycling container;
• said shelf is attached to a side of the plurality of sides by a hinge and positioned above the positioning of the slot to separate the recycling material inserted through the top from the recycling material inserted through the slot;
• the lip is positioned along the inside of the recycling container along the plurality of sides, such that, when the shelf is perpendicular to the side of the plurality of sides, the shelf rests on the lip;
• and
• when the recycling container is inverted, the shelf pivots on the hinge to allow the recycling below the shelf to be emptied from the recycling container.