We've been recycling for years. We do have to separate the papers from the rest but that's it. We only have to rinse jars and other containers but they can all go in the same bin, even foil pie plates, the cardbord boxes they are packed in can just go with papers.
We even have a special smaller bin for our greens, and all wet garbage but when the bags are full we toss them in a pile that we keep and when everything is composted we use it for our own fertilizer for the flower beds and the garden.
The only thing we can't put in the green bin is meat or meat by-products.