I get asked almost every single day about where certain things can be ;recycled. Usually when we are organizing, some things that are clutter are really items looking for a way to get into the recycling stream. While you can Google search for answers in your area, I’m sharing some of my favorites with you all in one place. This info may be somewhat specific to the Philly region, but much of it is applicable nationwide. Thanks for visiting. Along with the info in this post, download my Donation & Recycling Guide.

When You are Done Organizing, Where To Take Items for Recycling:

Eyeglasses: The Lions Club takes old sunglasses and prescription glasses for recycling. If you can’t find a Lions Club drop box, check your local Walmart, where you’ll find a bin like this in their on-site eye care center.

Electronics: Best Buy. They have a great recycling program that will take any kind of computer equipment or portable electronics, including phones and old fax machines. They may or may not charge you $10 for anything with a screen, but last I knew, they were still giving you a $10 gift card in those cases, so it’s a wash. They take everything else without a fee. The other place to take electronics is Goodwill Industries. They have a responsible recycling partnership with Dell, and will take working or non-working electronics, even your old boxy TV. Working phones, Kindles, and tablets can often be returned to the manufacturer for credit. It may only be a few $$, but that’s better than collecting dust in your basement. Check out the Apple trade-in program. There’s another trade-in program over at Amazon (this includes my affiliate link). Google has a trade-in program, too.

Mascara wands: Wands for Wildlife. Please take note of when they accept wand donations and follow guidelines. Why not add some dollars to your donation package?

Beanie Babies: Remember when you thought they were going to make you a millionaire? Sadly, there are very few places that accept ;stuffed animals. I recommend dropping them off at your nearest Goodwill. If you are troubled by this, please read my post on the economics of selling vs. donating.

Books: Many libraries (not all) take in gently used books. For example, Radnor library accepts donations of children’s and adult books. They have a huge sale twice a year, which funds many programs and improvements. It’s a win for everyone. If your local library doesn’t do this, call the one in the next town over.

Magazines: Yes, you might find a library or two to take them, but really, for all the effort that will take, I recommend sending them out to the curb with your regular recycling. All of the haulers that I have checked in the greater Philly region accept magazines (nothing with a hard bound cover) in their paper recycling stream.

Textbooks: Your old college texts are not saleable. Sorry. Recent college texts are, and you can check at http://www.cash4books.net/. Unfortunately, any place that you might want to donate ;your old textbooks to overseas will request that you pay shipping, and that can get very pricey. If you tear the hard covers off your old texts, the inside pages ;can go in your regular curbside recycling bin.

Toys: I love my local thrift shops, and they love getting quality items to resell. But if you are going to pass along toys, please be sure they have all of their parts and are in good condition. Impact Thrift Store is a great Philly area charity that takes toys. Some toys may be ;appropriate for service organizations like Cradles to Crayons, but please check your organization’s guidelines before you donate. Goodwill, Purple Heart, and Salvation Army ;also take most types of toys.

Cribs: Due to the problems with recalls in recent years, no one wants used cribs. Sorry. Look on Pinterest ;for ideas to repurpose your crib, or take it to the curb. Please don’t save it for your grandbaby. You love them enough to want them to have the safest gear possible, right?

Medical gear (crutches, bathing seats, wheelchairs) I know some people have an issue with giving things to Goodwill, but really, they are the Target of secondhand stuff. They’ve worked very hard to create partnerships that benefit everyone, including those who need to dispose of and who need to obtain ;low cost ;medical supplies. Anything that makes it easier to move the stuff along means that it can be out of your closet faster and off to someone who needs it more. Some medical items may also be appropriate for ProjectCURE. They can only accept certain supplies and equipment. For example, since they ship overseas, liquids need to have 12 months or more of shelf life remaining. Email them your list before shipping items. 

Project CURE
c/o Mission Central
5 Pleasant View Drive
Mechanicsburg PA 17050

Hearing Aids: http://www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org/hear-now.php Be sure to ask if the original local retailer has a recycling program.

Batteries- rechargeable- All the major home improvement stores (Home Depot, Lowes) have drop boxes for these items.

Batteries- non rechargeable- These are a bit more tricky. You can bag them and take them to your county hazmat drop off that takes place throughout the year. You can also request a bag to mail them to Waste Management at Think Green From Home, periodically. Whole Foods stores and IKEA no longer take batteries in my area. Since the mercury was removed from them a few years back, I am told these are no longer considered hazmat and can be placed with regular household trash, but they can also be recycled if you can find an agency to recycle them.

CDs and DVDs can be dropped off at BestBuy, but there’s another option, too. CDRecyclingCenter.org will take old disks off your hands. Watch their mesmerizing video to watch how they do it. I recommend cutting the disks with a bolt cutter before you send them in, to ensure data privacy.

Cell phones- Many retailers, including Target, have small component electronics recycling. ; (See photo of Target’s recycling bins) ; These do change often, so keep an eye out where you shop often.

CFL Lightbulbs: The list constantly changes on these, so check the latest with the EPA. ; Many retailers, like HomeDepot, have drop boxes for them.

Drugs- National Drug Takeback Day happens once a year, usually in the fall. In 2012, it will be September 29. If you missed it, you can check with local pharmacies. Many, but not all, will now take back meds.

Plastic shopping bags, dry cleaning plastic, newspaper plastic sleeves: This is called ;”film plastic” in the industry and should not go in with curbside recycling. It can, however, be recycled. Many retail grocery stores and big box retailers have bins in the front of the store. Plastic is THE MOST recyclable product out there, so if you get it back to a collection point, it will be recycled. Check at your favorite grocery store.

Baby formula/food, and food in general- ;If it is unopened and unexpired, please take it to your nearest Food Bank or Food Pantry. Google either term and your city or county for the closest. In case you are wondering, food pantries are distribution points that are sometimes fed by and often augment the work done by the larger food banks. Here in Philly, Philabundance is a big name in hunger resources, but there are probably ;others closer to you.

Large appliances and Gas grills: First, check with your local hauler or municipality. Many have metals recycling in place already. Even non-working appliances are sometimes claimed by folks like those on CraigsList.com or Freecycle.Org, sometimes to repair and sometimes to turn in for scrap metal.

Glue sticks: Who knew? http://www.recyclescene.com/how-to-recycle/recycle-glue-sticks

Keys: Check out this program. http://www.recyclescene.com/how-to-recycle/key-recycling ;If you aren’t close enough for this to be practical, you can always have your local locksmith or hardware store cut old keys in half for you, then add them to your metal recycling pile. Dayton Locks in Wayne will take them, and I’m happy to drop them for you as part of our projects together.

Flags: The Boy Scouts have a program where they take in and respectfully destroy US flags that are past their prime. I often see bins for collection at area libraries and township buildings. Reportedly, many American Legion Posts will also help you out with this. This is another single item that I will often take and drop for you at no charge.

Toothbrushes and oral care product packaging like toothpaste tubes and floss containers through the Colgate and Terracycle recycling program.

VHS tapes and other e-media: Greendisk. Sure, you’ll pay a few bucks in shipping, but it’s worth it to send these to a recycler rather than a landfill.

Wire hangers: Try your favorite dry cleaner first. Some will recycle or reuse them; some will not. Call your hauler to see if you can include them in curbside single-stream recycling; some programs do not want them. You could add it to a pile for metal recycling.

Wedding dress: Try www.NeverLikedItAnyway.com. Good stories, maybe good for a chuckle.
www.Bridesagainstbreastcancer.org
http://www.newbornsinneed.org/an-angel-came/ donate a wedding dress that will be used to create baby bereavement outfits and memory items for newborns that have died.
http://www.weddingdressmarket.com/instructionslsp.php
http://www.bridesacrossamerica.com/Donations.htm. I’ve never used any of these, personally.

Everything else: Check the Donation & Recycling Guide. I try to keep it updated, so feel free to let me know if you know of or if you are an organization that accepts donations. If you are up for a little road trip, you can take many other items up to Recycling Services, Inc. in Pottstown. It’s temporarily not accepting consumer drop offs, but the website says it might be re-opening. . www.Earth911.org is a great resource. TerraCycle is another resource where you can send in specific recycles and even earn points towards their programs. If you feel your stuff still has a useful life, try www.Freecycle.org.

I’ll be happy to add more resources to this post as they come in, so feel free to bookmark it for future reference.

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