N.Y. (WETM) — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is asking people to avoid recycling “tanglers.”

Tanglers are items that can get tangled in equipment at recycling processing facilities. Items wrapping around equipment can put workers in danger and damage the machinery. Items like plastic bags, clothing, hoses, ropes, strands of lights, wires, cords, wire hangers, and chains should never be put into recycling bins.

People who recycle these items typically have good intentions because they think the items still have value and could be recycled into something new. The DEC calls this “wish-cycling.” Even if one of the items listed above is made from a material that can typically be recycled, it should be kept out of recycling bins.

Recycle Right New York has an extensive list of items that cannot be recycled for various reasons. If you aren’t sure if something can be recycled, you can use Recycle Right’s search feature to find out. Recycle Right tells you how to properly dispose of, reuse, and recycle items that can’t be placed in regular recycling bins.