Eplahýðið fer í ruslatunnuna, ekki í endurvinnslu.

Icelandic very often forms compound nouns, much more freely than English does. So:

• epli = apple
• hýði = peel, skin
• eplahýði = apple peel
• eplahýðið = the apple peel

The -a- in the middle is a linking element that often appears in compounds. So instead of saying something like apple peel as two separate words, Icelandic usually packs it into one compound word.

The ending -ið is the definite article attached to the noun, so it means the.

Compare:

• eplahýði = apple peel
• eplahýðið = the apple peel

In Icelandic, the is usually not a separate word like in English. It is commonly attached to the end of the noun.

Fer is the present tense of fara, which usually means to go.

So literally, the sentence says something like:

• The apple peel goes into the trash can, not into recycling.

In English, this kind of sentence would often be expressed as:

• Apple peel goes in the trash, not in recycling
• The apple peel should go in the trash
• Put the apple peel in the trash, not in recycling

Icelandic often uses fara in this practical, destination-based way when talking about where something belongs.

They are both objects of the preposition í and both express movement into something, but the nouns themselves are different.

• ruslatunnuna = the trash can in the accusative singular definite form
• endurvinnslu = recycling in the accusative singular indefinite form

So the difference is mainly:

1. ruslatunna is a countable noun: a trash can / the trash can
2. endurvinnsla here is used more like an uncountable category: recycling

That is why English also says:

• into the trash can
• into recycling

rather than necessarily into the recycling.

The preposition í can take either the accusative or the dative, depending on meaning.

A very important rule is:

• motion into something → accusative
• location in something → dative

Here, the sentence is about where the apple peel goes, so it involves movement/destination. That is why we get accusative forms:

• í ruslatunnuna
• í endurvinnslu

Compare:

• Eplahýðið fer í ruslatunnuna. = The apple peel goes into the trash can.
• Eplahýðið er í ruslatunnunni. = The apple peel is in the trash can.

Notice how ruslatunnuna changes to ruslatunnunni when it is about location rather than motion.

Because endurvinnsla here is being used as a general category, like recycling in English.

So:

• í endurvinnslu = into recycling

This is very natural when talking about sorting waste. If you said í endurvinnsluna, it would sound more like into the recycling facility/bin/system as a specific thing. In many everyday sorting instructions, the article is simply omitted because the category is what matters.

Ekki means not.

In this sentence:

• Eplahýðið fer í ruslatunnuna, ekki í endurvinnslu.
• The apple peel goes in the trash, not in recycling.

The word ekki is used to correct or contrast the second option. It is not negating the whole sentence; instead, it is saying not in recycling.

This structure is very common in Icelandic when contrasting two destinations or categories:

• í X, ekki í Y = in/into X, not in/into Y

Eplahýðið is singular: the apple peel.

Basic forms:

• eplahýði = apple peel
• eplahýðið = the apple peel

For the plural, you would use forms based on eplahýði in the plural, for example:

• eplahýði can also function as a plural form in some contexts, depending on case and article
• eplahýðin = the apple peels

The exact form depends on case and definiteness, since Icelandic nouns inflect a lot.

Yes. Eplahýði is a neuter noun.

You can tell partly from the definite ending here:

• eplahýðið

That -ið ending is a common definite ending for neuter singular nouns.

This matters because adjectives, pronouns, and sometimes other parts of the sentence will agree with the noun’s gender, number, and case.

It is in the nominative singular definite.

Why? Because it is the grammatical subject of the sentence:

• Eplahýðið fer ...
• The apple peel goes ...

So the thing doing the going is in the nominative.

The sentence uses a very common basic Icelandic pattern:

• subject + verb + prepositional phrase
• Eplahýðið fer í ruslatunnuna

Then it adds a contrast:

• ekki í endurvinnslu

This is clear, natural instructional language. Icelandic word order can change for emphasis, especially because it is a V2 language in main clauses, but in a simple statement like this, the straightforward order is the most natural.

It is grammatically a statement, but in context it often functions like an instruction or sorting rule.

So even though it literally says:

• The apple peel goes into the trash can, not into recycling

the practical meaning is closer to:

• Put apple peel in the trash, not in recycling
• Apple peel belongs in the trash, not in recycling

This kind of wording is very common on signs and in household waste-sorting guidance.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

• EPL-a-hee-thith fer ee RUS-la-tun-na, ehk-ki ee EN-dur-vin-slu

A few pronunciation notes:

• ý sounds roughly like ee
• ð is like a soft voiced th in this, though in some positions it can be very weak
• ll in epla is just a normal l sound here
• kk in ekki is pronounced with a clear, strong k sound
• stress in Icelandic usually falls on the first syllable of each word:
  • Epla-
  • fer
  • rusla-
  • endur-

If you want, the next useful step is to learn the sentence in chunks:

• Eplahýðið fer
• í ruslatunnuna
• ekki í endurvinnslu

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• Eplahýðið fer í ruslatunnuna = The apple peel goes in the trash can
• Eplahýði fer í ruslatunnuna = Apple peel goes in the trash can

Without the article, it sounds more general or category-like, which can actually be very natural in sorting instructions. With the article, it may sound a bit more like you are talking about a particular piece of peel in front of you.

Both can make sense depending on context.