Recycle Rush involves picking up and stacking totes on scoring platforms, putting pool noodles ("litter") inside recycling containers, and putting the containers on top of scoring stacks of totes. There is also an competition aspect of the game where both alliances of teams can pool their totes and stack them on a step dividing the field to each gain twenty points. Along with these robot actions, human players can attempt to throw the pool noodles across the field to gain four points for each noodle left in the opposing alliance's work zone.