How to Recycle Almost Anything
It’s estimated that 32% of Americans recycle, disposing of their newspapers, cans, and cardboard boxes into recycling bins each week. That’s a lot—but did you know you can recycle so much more?
Recycling keeps old items out of landfills, protects our planet, and is a small step we can all take to make a significant difference. Here’s how to recycle eight everyday household items.
How to Recycle Batteries
Discarding batteries can be a head-scratcher. While they can be recycled, you can’t just toss them in the curbside bin. The nation’s largest and most reliable battery recycling program, Call2Recycle® will take the following battery types off your hands:
- AAA batteries
- AA batteries
- C batteries
- D batteries
- 9V batteries
- Coin/button batteries
- Non-standard battery sizes (lithium ion, nickel cadmium, small sealed lead acid) with proper terminal protection
Simply drop them off at a convenient location near you or ship them in to be recycled. Your area may have unique battery recycling restrictions, so always consult with your waste hauler or hazardous waste collector for more information before proceeding.
How to Recycle Books
Because paper and cardboard are recyclable materials, you can recycle books once you’re done reading them or no longer need them on your shelf. However, you don’t always have to trash things you recycle. Instead, consider “upcycling” them and giving them a new life for others to enjoy. Here's what you should do by book type:
- Books in good condition should be donated to schools, thrift stores, or Little Free Libraries in your local community.
- Paperbacks with significant wear and tear can be discarded into your standard curbside recycling bin.
- Worn-out hardcover books should have their pages removed from the binding and recycled.
How to Recycle Clothing
Clothing and textiles are some of the most commonly found items in landfills, so it’s essential to recycle your old or outgrown clothing responsibly.
If your clothes are still wearable but no longer your size or style, try donating them to thrift stores or shelters, selling them online or to resale stores, or handing them down to friends or family members.
Even if you think your clothes are too worn or stained to be donated, taking them to a charity or a municipal recycling center will allow them to resell the salvage to secondhand clothing recyclers. These recyclers will then reuse and repurpose the items.
How to Recycle Ink Cartridges
Recycling objects with electronic components (like ink cartridges) can be tough, as they can contaminate water and soil as they decompose.
Luckily, many manufacturers, including Dell and HP, and major office supply stores, like Staples or Office Depot, will accept their old ink cartridges via mail or drop-off and recycle them for you.
How to Recycle Kitchen Appliances
Has your old coffee maker finally bit the dust? Don’t go hauling it out to the garbage just yet. Some kitchen appliances like toaster ovens, air fryers, microwaves, stoves, or ovens can often be recycled, donated, or disposed of safely through various programs—including manufacturer or retail trade-ins, where they’ll take your old appliances after you buy new ones.
You can also consider selling an appliance for parts to a local scrap yard, electronic parts store, or thrift store.
How to Recycle Lightbulbs
Halogen and incandescent lightbulbs should be thrown away once they’re burnt out, as there’s usually not enough glass or plastic to recover through recycling.
LED bulbs can be taken to a dedicated light bulb recycler (like your local home improvement store) to be disposed of properly. Similarly, CFL bulbs and fluorescent tube lights should be taken to retailers like The Home Depot instead of being thrown away or taken out with your curbside recycling, as they contain small amounts of mercury, which is toxic to humans and pets.
How to Recycle Paint
Whether you just finished a remodel or your paint sample jars have taken over the garage, keeping paint around your house isn’t doing you any good—but letting it contaminate a landfill isn’t, either.
Donating your gently used paint to Habitat for Humanity ReStores, local theaters, or charities is a way to help people in your community who could use extra supplies.
That said, oil-based paint is considered hazardous waste, so check with your local hazardous waste collector for drop-off locations and proper handling procedures.
How to Recycle Electronics
Old electronics can still be used even if they're no longer working. Electronic recycling centers will take computers, TVs, and more, remove the parts that can still be used, and safely destroy the rest. You also have a few options to keep your old phone out of the junk drawer. Many cellular carriers offer buyback, trade-in, or recycling programs.
There are also non-carrier recycling options. Call2Recycle offers cell phone recycling programs for all models, brands, and carriers, as does ecoATM, which has over 5,000 phone-recycling kiosks.
Related: Top 13 Reasons to Hire a Professional Junk Removal Company
It’s Easy Being Green
While recycling is a simple way to be kinder to our Earth, it isn’t the only way to make an impact. Read our article, “It’s So Easy Being Green: Changes for a More Eco-Friendly Home,” for additional modifications you can make to help conserve energy and prevent air, water, and noise pollution.
How to Recycle FAQs
What is the correct way to recycle?
Proper recycling typically means disposing of clean, empty, and dry items like bottles, cans, paper, and cardboard loosely. Food, liquids, plastic bags, and bagged recyclables shouldn't be put in a recycling bin. Check your local laws for more exact recycling guidelines.
How can kids recycle?
Kids can get involved in recycling through concentrated efforts at school or home and by repurposing the things they no longer need in those places, like making crafts with cereal boxes or papier-mache with old school materials.
How can I recycle things at home?
Check your local recycling rules for what's accepted, then place those clean, empty recyclables in your recycling bin. Anything not accepted in a curbside recycling bin, like batteries, can likely be given to a local drop-off recycling center.
What are some examples of recycling?
Recycling can be broken down into multiple categories, including:
- Common recyclables: Paper, plastic, glass, metal
- Composting: Food scraps and garden waste that can be reused in gardening
- E-waste: Computers, televisions, phones, etc., that can be recycled for their parts