The average American produces 4.51 pounds of trash a day up from 2.68 pounds in 1960. Recycling has long been touted as the solution, but there are downsides to recycling too.

Pros and cons of recycling

Recycling can be an important part of waste management: effective recycling of all kinds of materials can prevent them from clogging up landfill, polluting the environment, and can avoid the environmental strain caused by manufacturing new items.

However, there are many issues associated with recycling. It’s important to understand these complexities in order to make more eco-friendly decisions not only around how you deal with your waste, but in how you live your life more generally.

Advantages of recycling

Before we dive into the issues and challenges associated with recycling, let’s take a look at the benefits of this approach and why it can be valuable in some circumstances.

Recycling helps reduce pollution

Traditionally, the world has dealt with its trash in one of two ways, both of which cause pollution:

In addition to these types of pollution, landfill also causes other kinds of environmental degradation. Most notably, large tracts of native habitats are cleared to make way for landfill, resulting in deforestation, which can, in turn, threaten endemic species, lead to water scarcity, and contribute to climate change.

One of the major benefits of recycling is that it can greatly reduce the amount of trash we send to landfills or incinerators, helping to reduce pollution as well as avoid other environmental problems associated with these approaches.

Additionally, responsibly recycling hazardous waste ensures that it won’t pollute the environment and threaten human health. For example, one quart of engine oil can contaminate over two million gallons of fresh water if not disposed of properly.

For advice on how to recycle or otherwise responsibly dispose of tricky household items, see our posts on LED light bulbs, kitchen knives, propane tanks, and broken glass.

Recycling cuts energy and resource use

By recovering materials rather than sending them to landfill, we don’t need to mine or manufacture new ones, thereby protecting our planet’s limited resources.

Furthermore, the mining and manufacturing industries damage the environment in a range of ways from clearing native habitats to leaching toxins into the soil and waterways and emitting greenhouse gasses which contribute to climate change.

Therefore, recycling materials can help to scale back these activities and reduce their negative impacts on the environment.

Recycling also helps to save on the energy needed to make these new products and materials. Although the recycling process uses some energy, this is generally much less than manufacturing new materials.

Glass, for example, requires less energy to recycle than manufacture, as existing glass melts at much lower temperatures than its raw materials. In this way, recycling helps to reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as having economic benefits.

Recycling raises awareness of environmental issues

Getting people to recycle can have impacts far beyond the initial effect of recycling that plastic bottle or BRITA filter. By getting more involved in this process and making an effort to dispose of our trash more responsibly, we become more conscious of our eco-footprint.

Essentially, going through our trash and recycling what we can makes us think about the environment and how we impact it, on a regular basis. It makes us think about how much waste we create, and may well encourage us to take steps to reduce this.

Furthermore, for anyone who wants to be more eco-friendly, recycling can be an easy first step to take, as well as being a great way to teach kids about environmental issues. It can also be an important part of a mindset shift that may open people up to be more environmentally-friendly in other ways too.

In some cases, this can pave the way for other lifestyle choices that go even further to protect the planet, such as composting, installing solar panels, or avoiding palm oil.

Recycling can save you money

Not only can recycling be beneficial to the environment, but it can also be advantageous to your wallet.

You can make money through recycling certain materials, most notably some types of metals – learn how here. You’re unlikely to earn large amounts this way, but it’s something!

Some towns also offer cash incentives for recycling glass items or aluminum cans. Products made from recycled materials are often cheaper, so opting for these kinds of products can save you some cash.

The recycling industry creates jobs

Recycling is a labor-intensive process: large numbers of people are needed to run recycling facilities, from transporting and processing waste to creating new products from recovered materials. In this way, the industry can create a range of skilled and semi-skilled jobs.

Ecocycle.org estimates that we would generate around 1.1 million jobs in the USA if the recycling rate increased to 75%. Currently, we recycle around 30% of solid municipal waste.

According to the same organization, recycling and reuse creates nine times more job opportunities than incinerators and landfill sites.

Furthermore, the recycling industry has the potential to drive economic growth, creating new jobs as it does.

Pitfalls of recycling

While recycling can be environmentally, socially, and economically beneficial, the wide-spread and aggressive campaigns promoting it over the past few decades have overlooked its risks and downsides. This has also led to it becoming something of a band-aid solution that can allow us to overlook the more challenging, underlying causes of our waste problems.

Our recyclables may be exported

China took almost half of the world’s recycling waste for decades until they banned the process in 2018. In the years immediately before the ban, many Western countries exported large volumes of their recyclables there: in 2016, the US alone sent them 16 million tons of paper, metal, and plastic.

Of these, around one-third were not recycled due to contamination and ended up littering the Chinese countryside and oceans instead. We continue to send our recycling to low-income countries across the world, such as Kenya, Senegal, Ethiopia, Ghana, Laos, Bangladesh, and Cambodia.

Not only does this pass the waste problem on to others who are probably less equipped to deal with it, but it means we lose control of the process and how much of these materials are actually recycled. Not to mention the greenhouse gas emissions generated by transporting literal mountains of trash across the globe.

We also lose control of how this waste is handled, as the Chinese example shows: around 1.5 million metric tons of plastic is dumped off the coast of the country every year. It’s disturbing to think how much of this may be our own waste that we dutifully sent to recycling.

Furthermore, as more countries institute bans against accepting foreign recyclables – Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia quickly followed China and introduced laws against importing plastic waste – we need to look for other options. As a result, we’re increasingly relying on countries with poor environmental protections, opening this situation up to even worse impacts on the planet.

Recycling inadvertently encourages us to use disposable items

Critics say that recycling gives us a false sense of security, as it makes us feel like we’re solving our waste problem when really it’s only slowing down or delaying the damage we’re causing the environment. 

Recycling isn’t really the ultimate solution to pollution and waste management as it uses large amounts of energy, is expensive, and can be hazardous to people and the environment if not done properly.

Furthermore, plastics can only be recycled a limited number of times: usually once or twice, so we still need to keep manufacturing more plastic items.

It can even encourage us to use non-recyclable materials. For example, not all plastics are readily recyclable, but many people don’t understand this, so may use them under the false assumption that they can be recycled.

In this way, recycling can potentially do more harm than good by allowing us to justify using disposable items, not to mention using energy and resources as well as producing pollution and greenhouse gasses during the manufacture of these items and during the recycling process itself.

Recycling programs also fail to address our biggest source of waste. In the US, food waste makes up the biggest proportion of municipal trash.

Food can’t be recycled, so by focusing on recycling as the main solution, we’re overlooking this key issue. Food waste not only clogs up landfills and emits pollution as it breaks down there, but producing much more food than we need has a range of negative impacts on the environment, from the use of toxic fertilizers and pesticides to contributing to climate change.

Recycling requires consumers to carefully prep their recycling

Another major problem is it relies on individuals to prepare their recyclables properly before putting them out curbside or sending them to a recycling facility.

Recyclables can be contaminated by food waste or because they’re mixed with materials the recycling facility won’t accept, such as straws and plastic bags. Such items are a huge red flag for recycling centers as they could get stuck in machinery and damage very expensive equipment.

If items are not thoroughly cleaned and properly sorted it not only makes that item unrecyclable, but it contaminates the whole load. Essentially, one greasy food container could mean that an entire truck of recyclable materials gets sent to landfill.

Recycling uses energy and can generate pollution

Unlike reducing and reusing, recycling is a fairly energy-intensive process. Unless this energy is produced from renewable sources, it means relying on finite fossil fuels, which also generates greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change.

Waste to energy plants could be a solution to this issue, but are not common in the USA.

Although recycling generally consumes less energy than sourcing and producing new materials, it’s better to avoid this energy use at all, for example, by reducing our consumption.

Properly recycling everything from plastic to silicon does not generally cause pollution and eliminates the soil, air, and water pollution caused by other forms of waste disposal. However, if the recycling process is not managed properly, it can contaminate the environment in a range of ways.

Electronics, for example, are sometimes sent to developing countries for recycling, where non-recyclable components may be thrown out, polluting land and waterways if that country doesn’t have strong regulations in place to prevent this.

Likewise, if plastics are not processed properly, they can release VOCs, volatile organic compounds, when they melt, which pose a risk to both human health and the environment. This can be damaging to human health, as well as pollute the local environment, threatening plants and animals.

Along with environmental risks, there can also be safety risks for workers if facilities are not properly managed. For example, If facilities don’t take proper safety precautions, workers may be exposed to toxic components when they hand-sort trash or handle recyclable materials.

Recycling is actually expensive

Recycling is an expensive process, and this is even more true of the initial costs required to set up recycling programs and infrastructure in the first place.

Import bans from China and other countries have also made recycling less economically viable. Just a few years ago, local governments across the US could make money selling recyclable materials.

These sums were generally modest – not a substantial revenue stream, but enough to make it worthwhile for sanitation departments to recycle all kinds of materials. However, now the situation has completely reversed, with towns needing to pay huge sums of money to run their recycling programs.

The US’ dependence on exporting recyclables for so many years meant that, unlike some European countries for example, we never developed extensive recycling infrastructure, exacerbating these issues.

The comparative cost of recycling also depends on other waste disposal options and how expensive they are. For example, in the US, it’s relatively easy and affordable to find space for landfills, making recycling programs a less attractive option.

This cost-benefit ratio relationship means some materials are more difficult to recycle than others and makes the future of recycling uncertain. Around 100 towns have already suspended their curbside recycling programs.

The real question is how long will cash-strapped local authorities sponsor our addiction to disposable materials?

How can we fix the recycling problem?

One solution that would address some of the issues associated with recycling in the US would be to invest in recycling systems and infrastructure. This would make the process more efficient and cost-effective, making it more viable for local authorities to sponsor local recycling programs.

In turn, this would reduce our reliance on exporting our recyclable materials, giving us more control over how much of our waste is actually recycled and under what conditions, and avoid dumping our waste problems on other countries.

This investment would also need to be matched by a commitment by authorities to sponsor recycling programs, as even with better infrastructure, these processes are still costly. 

Encouraging businesses to use recycled materials in their products would also help to expand the domestic market and make recycling more economically viable, though it’s unlikely to cover all costs.

Legislation to restrict or eliminate landfill could also be part of the solution. Making it more expensive to send our trash to landfill would make recycling comparatively more affordable.

Simply put, as things stand, we make it too easy to send waste to landfill, passing the cost on to the environment instead.

A more radical approach could be to pass the cost of recycling disposable materials on to the companies that produce them, such as by requiring brands to pay a deposit or penalty for selling products in certain types of packing or containers. This would ultimately pass the cost on to the consumer, as manufacturers would undoubtedly put their prices up accordingly.

However, it would also encourage both brands and their customers to explore other options, including truly zero-waste solutions.

Although these steps can help to make recycling more efficient and cost-effective, a big part of the solution should also be pursuing alternatives in order to reduce our reliance on recycling.

Viable alternatives to recycling

While recycling undoubtedly has its place in both waste management and living an eco-friendly lifestyle, it’s not the end of the story. In fact, recycling should arguably be seen as a last resort after you’ve tried other approaches to dealing with and eliminating waste.

Go zero-waste

A zero-waste approach can go a long way to minimize our impact on the environment. There are a range of ways to achieve a zero-waste lifestyle, such as:

• Only buy products in reusable containers, and get refills of everything from grains to shampoo
• Compost your organic waste
• Look for zero-waste products such as toothpaste, deodorant, and even toilet paper
• Get creative and reuse, repurpose, and upcycle whenever possible
• Buy second-hand clothing and accessories rather than new items

Going completely zero-waste can be a challenge, especially at first. However, avoiding single-use plastics with reusable bottles, coffee cups, and shopping bags can be a good start.

Opt for quality over quantity

Another powerful way to reduce both our rate of consumption and the amount of waste we produce is by buying quality products.

Society has become geared toward cheap, disposable products. Much of what we buy today, from clothing and electronics to single-use plastics, is only built to be used for a short period of time before it breaks, wears out, or stops working.

On the surface, this doesn’t matter, as we can easily buy a replacement for a nominal cost. However, the cost is passed on to the environment through the additional drain on resources and energy needed to manufacture new items, not to mention the waste that is produced.

In contrast, when we buy good-quality items that last a long time, they don’t need to be replaced so often, so we throw away less. Additionally, less energy and resources need to be used to produce the replacement items we buy.

We can even go a step further and try to cut down on the amount of stuff we buy entirely. It’s important to buy quality-made products, but in some cases, we can avoid buying anything at all by adopting a more minimalist approach.

Repair rather than throw away

All too often, we throw away items that could be as good as new with a little TLC. Your toaster breaks, and instead of taking it to the repair shop, you jump online to buy a new one.

Likewise, the heel comes off your favorite pair of boots (an easy fix), and you buy a new pair, or rather than mending a ripped seam in that near-new sweater, you get a new one.

The low cost and easy availability of all kinds of consumer items are largely to blame for this: it’s often quicker and even cheaper to buy a replacement than to have it repaired (or fix it yourself).

However, the cost to the earth is immense: every new product we buy takes energy and materials to make and probably produces pollution in the process. What’s more, our old item becomes trash that ends up in landfill or pollutes our waterways.

In contrast, repairing things typically involves minimal use of energy and resources, making this a huge net gain for the environment.

Should we skip recycling?

The short answer to this question is no: we shouldn’t ditch recycling entirely. Recycling can be an effective way to deal with trash and can form a vital part of a multifaceted approach to waste management and looking after the environment more generally.

However, over-reliance, particularly using recycling as an excuse not to pursue other tactics, is highly problematic, especially over the long term.

Arguably, we should see recycling as a short-term solution while we restructure how society functions, from production to consumer habits, in order to slash the amount of waste we produce or, better still, eliminate it entirely.

Check out our guides to recycling difficult items like cork and razor blades, and learn more about going zero-waste.

Replaceable BRITA filter cartridges do the hard work of filtering purer, better-tasting water.

But what happens to BRITA cartridges after they are expired? Do you know how to recycle BRITA filters? With BRITA recommending changing the filters every four weeks, the number of filters discarded by a household will soon add up. Are they only fit for the landfill, or is there a way to recycle them? This guide will explain how to recycle BRITA filters and save these useful cartridges from your household waste.

The challenges of recycling BRITA filters

Filtering your tap water at home with a BRITA filter is one of the most effective ways of reducing the number of single-use plastic bottles you use. BRITA should have great ‘green’ credentials because of this, but unfortunately, many of the BRITA cartridges that must be replaced every four to eight months are simply thrown in the trash.

According to Phox, over 100 million disposable water filter cartridges end up as landfill waste each year. For many households, the recycling options are limited as the filters cannot be included in your regular recycling and recycling centers often cannot take them.

The materials inside a BRITA filter are not routinely recycled

BRITA filters aren’t straightforward to recycle because they don’t contain everyday materials. The filters are composed of several proprietary materials that are layered for efficient tap water filtration.

Here’s what’s inside your BRITA filter cartridge or disc:

1. Activated charcoal

Activated charcoal from coconut coir does the main filtration work. It is treated with an inhibitor to prevent microbial growth. The porous charcoal adsorbs contaminants as the tap water passes through it. The use of charcoal removes odors that taint the water and improves its taste.

2. An ion exchange resin

Ion exchange resin removes the calcium and magnum ions that make water hard. This is done by exchanging calcium and magnesium with sodium ions, softening the water. The filter expires when the ion exchange resin becomes saturated with calcium and magnesium.

3. A mesh filter

A fine plastic mesh filter at the top of the filter cartridge removes larger particulates. This prevents coarse material from entering and disrupting the filter.

4. BPA-free Plastic housing

A polypropylene (PP) plastic housing holds together and seals the entire filter. The plastic used is known as Type 5 plastic and is not always routinely recyclable by curbside collection.

In addition, the used filters contain contaminants that may affect the recycling process

Spent BRITA filters are also carrying all the contaminants that they have filtered. These unwanted substances are bound to the different filter layers. Processing waste filters may affect other materials that come into contact with these substances during the recycling process.

So, is it possible to recycle all BRITA filters?

So, how to recycle BRITA filters? Is it even possible?

Thankfully BRITA has recognized the waste that comes with disposable water filter cartridges and, since 1992, has taken decisive steps to ensure they save as many cartridges as possible from landfill.

BRITA was the first company in its sector to establish a centralized recycling program for spent cartridges. They have maintained this program for over two decades and ensure that used BRITA cartridges are either reused or recycled. BRITA has even developed its own regeneration system for renewing filter materials.

At the BRITA headquarters in Tanusstein, Germany a specialist facility that includes wastewater treatment recycles used filters of all types. No components are wasted, and they reuse everything. This short video summarizes the recycling process at BRITA:

What does the BRITA recycling process involve?

BRITA’s recycling process deals with each of the materials that make up its filters. The plastic housing of the filter cartridge is carefully cleaned and ground down into a granulate that can supply the plastics industry.

BRITA then removes and separates the used activated charcoal and ion exchange resin layers. BRITA can reactivate the charcoal layer using specialist techniques so that it can be used for wastewater treatment.

They completely recycled the ion exchange material using extensive chemical and thermal purification. The recycled resin must meet stringent hygiene and quality standards to be used as a fresh ion exchanger in new BRITA filter cartridges.

Is shipping used filters carbon neutral?

Shipping tonnes of used filters all the way to Germany sounds expensive and resource-intensive too. However, BRITA efficiently uses its logistics chain to both supply new stock and retrieve the spent cartridges. BRITA say that their process is so efficient that no additional fuel is required for retrieving spent cartridges.

The recycling process uses much less energy than would be needed to create new plastic and charcoal products.

How to recycle BRITA filters easily

BRITA has run a collection program for recycling used filters for almost 20 years. They have partnered with an expanding number of retailers to set up collection points where you can drop off used filter cartridges while shopping for some new ones. This is the easiest way to recycle your old BRITA filters. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Prepare your used BRITA filter for recycling

BRITA filter cartridges need to be properly prepared for recycling, just like your other household items. The main issue with BRITA filters is moisture which can breed mold. Ensure that your cartridges are superficially clean, thoroughly dried out, and bagged before recycling them.

2. Carry your used filters to your local BRITA retailer

BRITA has established relationships with major retailers like supermarkets, grocery stores, department stores, and hardware stores. Retailers may provide a dedicated BRITA box or a community recycling hub where you can recycle items like batteries, beverage pods, coffee capsules, and water filters from a range of brands.

3. Drop the spent BRITA cartridge in the collection box

Drop your old cartridges in the collection box and continue your day. The used filters are then collected by specialist recycling companies or forwarded to BRITA directly.

How to recycle BRITA filters using TerraCycle

BRITA continues to innovate its recycling program and processes. They have acquired the specialist recycling company TerraCycle as a sustainability partner and rolled out a BRITA products recycling program called the ‘BRITA brigade’ that spans the United States.

What is TerraCycle?

TerraCycle is a US-based recycling company that specializes in collecting and recycling products and materials that conventional recycling plants cannot process. They then use the recovered raw materials in a range of innovative manufacturing processes. Like BRITA, Terracycle can renew and reprocess every element of a BRITA filter cartridge for new purposes.

Use TerraCycle to recycle your BRITA filters

This BRITA filter recycling program may be even more convenient than visiting a store as all you need to do is post your used filters to TerraCycle and they will handle all the recycling in partnership with BRITA.

Here’s how to recycle your BRITA filters using TerraCycle:

Step 1: Set up a TerraCycle account

You will need to set up a TerraCycle account to use TerraCycle to recycle your BRITA filters. You can sign up for TerraCycle at their website. By registering with TerraCycle, you become eligible to earn reward points for your recycling that are turned into donations to schools and charities.

Step 2: Prepare your used filters for recycling

TerraCycle doesn’t require the filters to be clean, but they must be dry for postal services to accept them. Dry out your filters for at least three days to ensure that they will ship without dripping.

Also, TerraCycle advises you should ship at least nine filters or a kilo in weight at a time. If you ship less than this, you won’t earn reward points on your TerraCycle account.

Step 3: Log into your TerraCycle account to download a prepaid shipping label

Once you have enough used filters, simply box them up and send them to TerraCycle for free. To do this, you’ll need to print off a shipping label via the TerraCycle account. Attach the label to the parcel of used filters so they can be shipped to TerraCycle for processing.

Step 4: Ship your used filters for free

Drop the filters off at your nearest post depot for free shipping to TerraCycle. When your filters are received, you will earn reward points on your account.

TerraCycle doesn’t just recycle BRITA filters…

In the US, TerraCycle will recycle anything produced by BRITA. This means that you can use your TerraCycle account to recycle BRITA products that include:

• BRITA packaging
• BRITA bottles and caps
• BRITA flexible plastic pouches
• BRITA jugs and other containers

This particular recycling program is only for BRITA-branded products. Other water filters and products are not eligible as BRITA is sponsoring this program.

How to recycle BRITA filters in Europe and the UK

The TerraCycle program is unavailable in the UK, Ireland, or the EU. BRITA maintains its longstanding program of offering collection boxes for used filters in these regions instead. According to Robert Dyas, a retailer taking part in the collection program, over 3.2 million BRITA cartridges have been recycled in their stores in the last 10 years.

How to recycle BRITA filters in the UK

In the UK, simply drop off cleaned, dried, and bagged filters in the collection boxes at retailers that sell BRITA products, including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Robert Dyas.

How to recycle BRITA filters in Ireland

Again, just drop your used filters in the collection boxes of BRITA retailers, such as PowerCity and many independent retailers.

Rounding up

So, now you know how to recycle BRITA filters easily and safely – it makes using BRITA products for tap water filtration (rather than buying bottled water) an even more environmentally friendly way to keep plastic out of landfills. Being able to fully recycle the filters makes BRITA products a more environmentally friendly choice.

BRITA has worked hard to find new ways to keep as many filters as possible out of the landfill and their partnership with TerraCycle makes this specialist recycling ultra-convenient.

This widespread disapproval begs the question: are plastic straws recyclable? What happens to the straws that millions of consumers around the world use every day? 

Plastic straws are not easily recyclable, and thus, they almost always end up in our Earth’s landfills. There are, however, a few ways to dispose of them. So the next time you find yourself sipping from a straw in a cafe, don’t despair: let’s dive into why plastic straws cause harm to our planet, and what you can do to lessen this harm.

So, are plastic straws recyclable?

No. Plastic straws are not recyclable. 

While every straw you discard may not end up stuck in the nose of a sea turtle, it will likely live on for decades in a landfill, or break down (over hundreds of years) in an ocean. But how does this come to be? 

It’s become a habit for most consumers to toss their empty plastic soda bottles in the recycling, but you cannot necessarily do the same with straws. This is because it is difficult to thoroughly collect and sort them. 

Though every region is different, many recycling facilities will simply not accept plastic straws, leaving them to sit in our landfills. In turn, these plastics that end up in landfills typically emit harmful pollutants, and can also be carried out into our waterways and oceans. 

Straws are no exception – it is estimated that 7.5 million straws pollute U.S. coastlines, and another 437 million to 8.3 billion plastic straws can be found on coastlines around the world. In 2022 alone, the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup removed 224,170 straws from our oceans – with the item landing at number 7 on their top 10 list of items removed this year.

To better understand why plastic straws can’t be recycled, and to realize the real impact that these millions of single-use items can have on our environment and sea life, it’s important to understand what they’re made of. 

Why can’t plastic straws be recycled?

There are two primary reasons why plastic straws may not be accepted in your local recycling facility: the material they are made of, and their size.

Single-use plastic straws are typically made of polypropylene, a type 5 plastic. Polypropylene is a polymer used in many plastics, and while it can be recycled and is increasingly accepted by curbside collections, straws are often an exception.

There are a few reasons why it is difficult to recycle plastic straws: 

• They are too small to separate. Sorting is a key part of the recycling process, because not all plastics can be reused and made into something new. Plastic straws are too small for most mechanical equipment or personnel to sort effectively.   

• They are too lightweight. Because of their small size, straws often fall on the way to a facility and litter the street. They also may not make it through the mechanical sorter for this reason, and can typically mix with other recycling materials. 

• They can contaminate the rest of the recycling load. Straws often have residue from drinks that will contaminate the entire load of recycling materials they share space with. Most people do not rinse their plastic straws, which often contain strong coffee, soda, or other beverage remnants that can contaminate other items.

Even if straws do end up being sorted, they are often discarded due to lack of cleanliness, quality, and quantity of plastic. 

Another important note is that if a straw is dyed black, it can especially not be recycled because it has reached the end of its life cycle and is no longer a high-quality plastic. 

Why are plastic straws bad for the environment?

The danger of single-use plastics such as straws begins at their very creation: plastic is derived from natural gas, coal, and oil – three of the most harmful fossil fuel resources. The emissions from extracting and transporting these fuels to factories is estimated to be around 12.5 to 1.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent each year in the United States. 

We know that most straws end up in our landfills, but what impact do they really have once they arrive? 

Unfortunately, plastic straws are not biodegradable and can take over 200 years to decompose. When they are sent to a landfill, they will emit harmful greenhouse gasses into our atmosphere as the years go on. 

In the U.S. alone, landfills accounted for over 15% of methane emissions in 2020. They are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the country. As more and more plastic is sent to landfills, they will only increase in size and harmful emissions.

Plastic in our oceans 

When our landfills are not adequately managed, single-use plastics, especially lightweight items like straws, end up in our oceans. This poses a large threat: studies estimate there are now 15 to 51 trillion pieces of plastic in our oceans around the entire world, and there is plastic pollution present every square mile of ocean surface in the world.

Plastic pollution in our oceans typically groups up into garbage patches, or areas where waste accumulates and floats. The largest accumulation is the Great Pacific garbage patch, located between Hawaii and California. Plastic straws make up around 2% of the total amount of plastic in the Pacific Garbage Patch.

Plastic straws can harm our ocean’s marine life 

Smithsonian explains what exactly can happen to plastics when they end up in the ocean: if left outside, the ocean waves, wind, and ultraviolet rays from the Sun will weaken the plastic and slowly break it down into small pieces.

As time goes on, weather will break down the plastic into even smaller pieces, called microplastics. We humans cannot see microplastic, but marine life can. Plastic cannot be properly digested by wildlife, so too much of it can often harm and kill sea creatures. 

Besides ingestion, plastic can cause suffocation, entanglement, infection, and great harm to wildlife. Remember the viral sea turtle video? Unknowingly, sea creatures may come across plastic items like straws and end up seriously injured by them. 

A global response 

In response to this slew of harmful environmental impacts, the threat of the single-use plastic straw has pushed organizations in almost every sector to start campaigning against the use of this item. 

In the Australian state of New South Wales, residents can soon be charged with fines of up to $11,000 for supplying or carrying single-use plastic items, including plastic straws and others. The state’s phasing out of plastic items will stop “around 2.7 billion pieces of litter entering the state’s waterways and environment over the next 20 years.”

Another noteworthy change was made by the U.S.-based company Starbucks, who has fully phased out straws and flat lids for their beverages over the last few years. 

These are just two notable examples of the type of actions global leaders are taking to reduce the amount of plastic straws polluting our oceans and landfills.  

How are plastic straws disposed of?

Now that we understand the harmful impact of plastic straws and why it’s so difficult to recycle them, let’s look at some of the standard disposal methods for plastics:

Incineration

Since plastics are derived from natural gas and oil, they have a higher stored energy value than most other materials in the waste stream. Incineration systems can return the energy required to produce plastic wastes.

When you think about the amount of waste sitting in our Earth’s landfills, this solution makes sense. However, incineration can also cause adverse environmental and health effects. 

The incineration process releases hazardous substances such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which in turn harm people, animals, and our environment. In the last 10 years, CO2 emissions from incinerators have doubled.

Decomposition 

Some plastic straws are biodegradable, meaning they have the ability to break down completely into substances found in nature, and in a reasonable time frame (three to six months). 

Even though biodegradable plastics can decompose, they also release metals into the atmosphere throughout this process. When choosing between biodegradable and nonbiodegradable products, it is important to weigh this tradeoff. 

Disposing of compostable plastic straws

When it comes to using compostable plastic straws, we should dispose of them in compost facility conditions, and designated places to dispose of them. These straws are only designed to compost in compost facility conditions, which clearly presents some pros and cons.

When using a compostable straw, many people may not have information about public composting depositories and end up throwing them in trash cans. 

Of course, this means that they also end up in landfills, and eventually waterways, streams, and our oceans. When compostable plastic straws find their way into the water bodies, they can also negatively affect marine life.

Reusing and recycling

While the answer to the question of are plastic straws recyclable isn’t actually a ‘yes’ – you can make an enquiry with your local recycling centre. The most sustainable way to dispose of plastics is to, of course, recycle them. This is because they are usually given a second life, and remade into other products. However, we know that plastic straws are not easily recyclable.

Even though recycling plastics is the best disposal method, plastic straws are often too tiny, too lightweight, and too difficult to clean for recycling facilities to accept them. So, you might want to look into reuse instead – such as checking with your local schools and community centers to see if anyone requires plastic straws for arts and crafts or upcycling projects.

It is also always worth checking with your local waste management services in your region to see if they collect and recycle straws. One way to ensure that your straws will not damage the recycling process is to collect any plastic straws you use, clean them, and place them in a larger plastic container that can be recycled. 

Alternatives to plastic straws

While the question of are plastic straws recyclable doesn’t yield the answers we all want – it’s time to look at alternatives. While there are a few ways to dispose of single-use plastic straws, each method often presents alternate harmful effects. Overall, it is best to avoid using plastic straws altogether. 

However, people who have had a stroke, autism, MS, or any other life-changing physical issue may need to use a straw when taking their drinks. Whether or not this is the case for you, opting for a reusable or biodegradable straw is the more environmentally-responsible way to go. 

By investing in and using plastic straw alternatives, you can help lessen the harm done to our oceans and atmosphere. There are a few alternatives that many consumers have invested in: 

• Paper straws are eco-friendly alternatives to plastic straws. Since they are made from renewable resources, paper straws are compostable and biodegradable after 45-90 days.

• Glass straws are durable and designed for reuse. They are also easy to clean! 

• Bamboo straws are organically made during the harvesting of the bamboo plant.

• Edible straws are offered in flavored and unflavored variations. These are safe to eat and solves the issue of disposing of your straw.

Overall, there are plenty of alternatives to plastic straws to consider. As the numbers show us, seemingly small single-use items can make a monumental impact.

In conclusion: recycling plastic straws is difficult, so better to opt for alternatives 

Now that you have an answer to the question ‘are plastic straws recyclable?’, it’s evident that the recycling process is complicated, and most often does more harm than good for our planet.

Most waste management services are not equipped for recycling straws, so a great number of straws end up in landfills, contributing to great environmental harm.

Therefore, we can opt for green living by embracing some of the numerous alternatives to plastic straws to help us curb this harm. Overall, though, the best way to prevent this harm is to choose beverages without straws when you can, and if you are able. 

Green Coast is a renewable energy and green living community focused on helping others live a better, more sustainable life.

So, are food containers recyclable, and how exactly can we recycle them?

Are all food containers recyclable?

Although many types of take-out food containers are easily recyclable, others aren’t. What makes food containers recyclable may be because the container is not prepared appropriately for recycling, is too badly contaminated, or the material is not recyclable at all.

It’s important to know what kinds of food containers are recyclable, and what you need to do to make sure that they are. This will allow you to minimize the amount of waste you send to landfill.

Furthermore, knowing which kinds of food containers you can recycle means you can avoid using those which you’ll be forced to throw in the trash.

However, keep in mind that rules can vary depending on where you live, so be sure to check the guidelines for curbside recycling in your local area. Just because it has a recycle symbol on it, doesn’t mean it can be recycled in your local curbside program, or even through a recycling center.

You may think you’re doing the right thing by tossing these containers in with your recycling. However, by putting something that shouldn’t be there with recyclable items you risk contaminating the entire load, meaning everything will be sent to landfill.

Even paper and cardboard cartons that appear readily recyclable or biodegradable could be unfit for the process, as they are usually soaked in grease or food residues. Other materials are simply too difficult to recycle, or not worth the time and effort involved for recycling facilities, so this poses even further problems.

In all cases, it’s essential to clean and prepare the containers properly before recycling them – we’ll walk you through how to do this in the following sections.

Which food containers are recyclable?

Whether you can recycle any given food container depends on various factors, including the materials the container is made from, what it contained, and the state it’s in. You can sometimes reuse food containers, though this is not always practical, and you only need so many containers!

We’ll take a closer look at those containers that can be recycled, and how to prepare them properly for recycling.

Plastic food containers

You can recycle many types of plastic food containers, but it depends on the type of plastic it is made of. The best thing to do is check the bottom of the container and look for a recycling symbol and number.

Although a recycling symbol doesn’t guarantee that it can be recycled, at least not in your local area, the number will tell you what type of plastic it is. You can then use this information to check with your local municipality to see if that type of plastic is accepted curbside.

If not, ask recycling centers in your area if they take that kind of plastic – you can find a facility in your area by using the Earth 911 online search tool. Recycling facilities sort plastics by type, before shredding, washing, melting, and pelletizing the material, and then finally shaping it into a new product.

Once you’ve determined that you can recycle the plastic container, clean it thoroughly with dish soap to remove any food residue and let it dry. Separate out any components made from different materials such as aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and plastic utensils, and recycle these separately.

Likewise, zip-top food storage bags can generally be recycled, as long as they’re are clean and dry. Again, check with your local sanitation department or recycling facility to see if they’ll accept them.

Cardboard and paper food containers

Cardboard and paper are widely accepted for curbside recycling, and this includes food containers made of these materials, from cardboard boxes to paper bags. However, the big caveat here is that you can only recycle items that are free from grease or food residue.

And to be clear, this means that the food containers cannot be even slightly soiled – otherwise they won’t be accepted for recycling. 

This is because food scraps like cheese and grease will interfere with the sorting process and may even damage recycling machinery. Pizza boxes are also problematic (we’ll talk about this more in the section at the end of the article).

Having said that, paper and cardboard containers are free of grease or any other food contamination can be recycled, especially items that didn’t come into direct contact with food. Separate out any containers that are contaminated and put them in your compost bin or, worst case, the trash.

This may include parts of containers – for example, if the bottom part of a paper bag is soaked in grease but the top is completely clean, tear off the oily part. The uncontaminated parts can then be recycled curbside.

Be sure to also check cardboard food containers for a waxy coating, lining, or glitter. This is typically made from polyethylene and will make the container unfit for recycling, so remove any such lining or covering before you dispose of it.

Aluminum food containers

Restaurants often use aluminum foil containers to keep your food warm during delivery. The advantage of this type of food container is that they can be easily recycled, but it’s important to make sure that the container is thoroughly cleaned first.

To prepare aluminum food containers for recycling, clean them thoroughly and remove any food that may be left over. Once cleaned, scrunch up the container and put it with the rest of your curbside recycling.

Which types of food containers can’t be recycled?

Most restaurants and takeaway joints use plastic food containers as they don’t react with food, and so help to preserve food safety. However, these containers, along with other non-recyclable materials, can be very damaging to the environment.

Food containers made from the following materials cannot be recycled, so it’s important to avoid them if you want to care for the environment.

Food containers with plastic coating

The general rule of thumb when it comes to food containers is that as long as they are not lined with plastic film, they can be recycled. Plastic coating is often used to make flexible, durable, and heat- or stain-resistant packaging, but such containers are problematic for recycling facilities as they include a mix of different types of materials that aren’t easy to separate.

This is true not only for other materials that are coated or lined with a plastic film, like paper, but also plastic. This is because the coating is usually a different type of plastic from the container itself, and each kind of plastic reacts differently when it is reprocessed so you can’t recycle in the same way because they melt at different temperatures.

Therefore, if you include a plastic-lined food container with your recycling, it will contaminate the whole load, making all other items non-recyclable.

Polystyrene (styrofoam) food containers

Polystyrene is technically recyclable – in fact, you’ll probably see a number six recycling symbol on the bottom of your styrofoam food container. This material is generally more than 90% air, making it lightweight and bulky, so ideal for packaging and transporting all kinds of items, including food.

However, because of its bulk, polystyrene is not desirable for recycling centers and most curbside programs, as well as recycling facilities won’t accept it. It’s worth checking with your local authority or recycling center to see if they’ll take this material for recycling, but otherwise, it’s best to avoid it entirely.

However, you can recycle some types of styrofoam, though it’s not always easy: see this guide for more.

Mixed material food containers

Mixed material containers are not easy to recycle as it’s hard to know which materials are recyclable and which are not. Furthermore, most recycling facilities won’t accept such items unless they’ve been separated into their different materials.

Recycling facilities can only operate if the revenue they receive for recovered materials covers the cost needed to process it. Expensive manual or chemical processes are necessary to separate blended materials into single valuable waste streams, making the whole concept not cost-effective for recyclers, and so they usually won’t accept mixed material items.

Therefore, unless you can pull the container apart into different, recyclable materials – for example, tearing an aluminum lid off a cardboard box – it’s better to skip these kinds of containers.

Disposable coffee cups

You may love a convenient, to-go coffee as your morning pick-me-up, but these single-use cups are notoriously unsustainable. Even though disposable coffee cups are mostly made of paper, they usually have a polymer plastic lining and so can’t be recycled.

Though the paper component is technically recyclable, because of the plastic lining, they have to be sent to landfill.

Some take away coffee cups are labeled as compostable or biodegradable – these typically have an electric acid lining that can be composted, just not at home. So, you’ll need to send this off to a commercial composting facility, and they can be difficult to find.

Better option: invest in a sustainable, reusable cup and have your favorite coffee shop fill that instead!

Microwave meal containers

Microwave meal containers are usually made from certain kinds of non-biodegradable plastic that cannot be recycled easily. This is because a certain type of plastic is used that is safe for microwaving, but not easily recycled.

Furthermore, even microwavable meal containers made from recyclable plastic are often rendered non-recyclable by food contamination. Even if you clean them thoroughly, oil and grease from the food can penetrate the plastic during microwaving.

Takeaway pizza boxes

You may assume that pizza boxes can be recycled as they’re made from corrugated cardboard, and in theory, corrugated cardboard is recyclable. However, when the material is soiled with cheese and oil, it can’t be recycled.

If the top part of the box has had zero contact with grease and cheese, it can be recycled, but you will have to throw the bottom half in the trash.

Having said that, check with your local authority if they can accept pizza boxes, because some facilities accept them even when they are stained or greasy, though you have to make sure that they are empty.

Final thoughts

It’s understandable that food take-away and deliveries have become a common part of our busy, modern lives, and this makes it even more essential to understand how to properly dispose of packaging, single-use items and food containers

However, it’s important to make sure you recycle the food containers properly, and avoid non-recyclable ones wherever possible. Educating ourselves on these subjects will go a long way to ensuring that we limit our waste, and our impact on the environment.

If you’ve found this post on are food containers recyclable, take a look at our guides to recycling other single-use and household items, such as styrofoam, cardboard boxes, and packaging peanuts.

Is broken glass recyclable or is it too dangerous?

Although most glass bottles and containers can be recycled curbside, most municipalities and recycling centers won’t accept broken glass due to safety concerns. Additionally, it’s important to keep in mind that not all types of glass are the same.

Broken glass is generally too hazardous to recycle: the sharp edges of glass shards represent a safety concern for sanitation workers, unless they’re packaged properly. Even still, broken glass can damage the equipment at recycling centers, so they may not accept them at all.

Furthermore, not all glass is the same, and therefore recycling glass is not as simple as it seems.

While container glass is easily recyclable, window glass and mirrors have a certain chemical composition that makes them difficult to recycle at a regular facility. However, broken glass of this kind can still be repurposed, so keep this in mind before tossing it in the trash.

Likewise, wine and drinking glasses contain different chemicals and a distinct melting point compared to container glass. This presents a problem for recycling centers, as mixing the two types of glass can create unstable recycled glass that is prone to fractures.

Lightbulbs may also need to be treated differently, depending on the type of lightbulb. Incandescent and halogen light bulbs are generally accepted for recycling if packaged properly, but fluorescent bulbs are often considered hazardous waste.

For more on recycling LED light bulbs, see our comprehensive guide.

Your best bet is to get in touch with your local municipality and check which types of glass, and in particular what types of lightbulbs, you can recycle curbside. If your area doesn’t accept certain types of glass, you can also look into local recycling centers, such as through Earth 911’s online search tool.

Some states have taken the initiative to encourage people to send more glass bottles to recycling centers. At the moment, there are 10 US states that have active “bottle bills”, or container deposit return laws.

Under these schemes, the consumer pays a small deposit, on top of the cost of the drink, when they buy a beverage in a glass bottle. When you return the bottle to a store or redemption center, you get the deposit back, and so this acts as a deposit to recycle your glass bottles.

Why is it hard to recycle glass in the US?

Over 10 million metric tons of glass are discarded in the US every year, but only one-third of this goes to a recycling center. That isn’t because glass is difficult to recycle – quite the opposite.

Glass’ inherent attributes makes it one of the easiest materials to recycle. Even better, glass can be melted and recycled multiple times without losing its quality.

Even still, the US only recycles 33% of its glass, nearly half the rate in Switzerland or Germany.

Americans have long been fans of recycling glass. So, why has the glass recycling rate in other countries doubled in the last two decades, while it has barely moved in the USA?

One major reason for this is that in the US, glass manufacturers use cullet — a material produced by crushing different types of bottles and jars and mixing them with sand and other raw materials to manufacture molten glass.

What is cullet?

Cullet is a mixture of sand, and crushed glass from different sources.

Cullet has many environmental benefits:

• it reduces greenhouse gas emissions as its production doesn’t produce carbon dioxide;
• it’s safer to melt;
• it’s energy-efficient, since no carbon dioxide is produced, this avoids bubbles forming in the glass;
• it’s easy to produce, as manufacturers can produce molten glass without having a furnace at a high temperature when cullet in the mix.

Despite all these benefits, recycling centers can only recycle glass made from certain materials, and cullet is not one of those options, because it needs to go through special processing first. US recycling centers are simply unable to process cullet as efficiently as European industries.

So in short, glass made from cullet is not accepted for recycling.

Another common issue is that Americans have a habit of tossing all of their waste in the recycling bin, including many items that don’t belong there, such as plastic bags and light bulbs. Inappropriate waste materials contaminate the recyclable items in the bin, making it harder for the recycling center to sort everything, and can lead to the entire load being thrown out.

Broken glass is a case in point, as, even if it’s accepted by a given recycling facility, it needs to be properly prepared first. We’ll cover how to do this in the next section.

How to safely dispose of broken glass

If you’ve ever broken a drinking glass or a window pane, you’ll know how sharp and dangerous the shards can be. You can imagine what could happen if a sanitation worker was to unknowingly come across these pieces while sorting your waste!

The first step is to check with your local municipality or recycling center to see whether they’ll accept broken glass. Once you’ve found somewhere to take this material, you need to prepare it properly before disposing of it.

1. Check what types of glass the recycler will accept

Because different types of glass are handled differently, the first thing you need to do is check with your local municipality or recycling center to see if they’ll accept the kind of glass you have. Tell them the type of glass you have, whether wine glasses, window panes, light bulbs, or something else, and ask if they’ll take it.

If you can’t find anyone who will accept your broken glass, you will have no choice but to throw it in the trash. However, always ask your local sanitation department before doing this, and be sure to check the rules around potentially-hazardous materials like light bulbs.

Also, be sure to ask them how to prepare the broken glass for recycling. Unless they have any special instructions, follow the steps below.

2. Be mindful of safety

Whether preparing broken glass for recycling or, if this option is not available, to throw in the trash, it’s essential to be careful when handling the pieces, as they could cause a serious injury if not handled properly. Therefore, it’s important to wear the appropriate protective gear.

Put on a pair of puncture-proof gloves and sturdy, closed-toe shoes before cleaning up or handling any broken glass.

3. Put the smaller pieces of glass in a cardboard box

When you’re handling broken glass properly, the next step is to gather up the smaller pieces and put them into a container, such as a cardboard box. This is important to protect sanitation workers, or anyone else handling your waste, from injury.

Never put a large piece of glass into a cardboard box that is too small to accommodate it, or that can pierce the edges of the box and poke through.

If you have large pieces of glass that are too big to fit into the box, wrap the glass in some and break it gently with a hammer: the glass will break into small pieces, and you’ll be able to empty the cloth into a cardboard box.

4. Seal and label the box

After collecting the glass into a cardboard box, seal the box securely with tape. It’s important that the box is sealed tightly so the glass doesn’t find its way out.

Next, label the box: this will make it easier for the waste handlers to deal with the broken glass effectively. Use a red or black marker to write “danger”, “sharps”, or “broken glass” on the outside of the box.

This will let the workers know to handle the box with caution, and also to store it separately so it doesn’t get mixed up with other waste. You can then responsibly dispose of your broken glass.

5. Reuse broken glass

As it can be difficult to recycle broken glass, a better option may be to reuse it. This will give the material new life, and save it from ending up in landfill.

Backsplash

Backsplash walls are not only a practical addition to kitchens and bathrooms, but they also act as the focal point of these small spaces. Instead of tiles, you can use broken glass to create a unique backsplash wall.

Simply grab a glue gun to stick the broken glass pieces to your wall. You can mix different colors of glass to create a functional and decorative backsplash.

Photo frames

Another way to reuse glass shards is as a raw material to decorate photo frames. Using glitter (preferably biodegradable) and a glue gun, you can stick these shards to any photo frame – the glitter is optional, but it will add extra sparkle!

Glass fridge magnets

Fridge magnets are not only decorative, but extremely handy for holding your notes, photos, and grocery list. Stick small magnets on the back of a piece of glass using a glue gun to create funky magnets.

Garden stones

For some unique outdoor décor for your yard, take some broken pieces of glass and a set of garden rocks. Glue the glass pieces to the rocks using a glue gun, and then place them in your yard or gift them as a fun present to keen gardeners.

Wrapping up

Glass containers are easy to recycle, but drinking glasses, window panes, and light bulbs are a bit more tricky. Things get even more complicated when it comes to broken glasses, which can be hazardous.

If you’re wondering if broken glass is recyclable in your area, check with your local sanitation department, or contact a recycling center. Just be sure to ask for their instructions on how to handle this potentially-dangerous material, and prepare it properly for disposal.

To learn about responsibly disposing of difficult materials, take a look at our guides to recycling wood, silicone, and kitchen knives.

Here’s how to dispose of your cookware responsibly.

Can you recycle pots and pans?

There’s no cut-and-dried answer to this question, as cookware comes in various types, made from many different materials. Some of these materials are easily recyclable, while others are not.

Unfortunately, many modern pots and pans feature a combination of plastic and metal, and a chemical coating, all of which make them unfit for recycling. However, the rules for how to recycle pots and pans vary depending on where you live, so it’s worth checking with your local municipality. 

You can also check with recycling centers in your area to see what types of cookware they’ll accept.

Some recycling facilities are reluctant to recycle pots and pans with special coatings to make them non-stick and heat-resistant, as these often contain toxic chemicals. To recycle these, the center has to first separate each type of material, which is time-consuming and expensive, and that’s if the facility even has the appropriate equipment to do this in the first place.

For this reason, many recycling centers do not take pots and pans, or won’t accept certain types, as the effort to recycle them is simply not worth their while. Other types of cookware, such as cast iron, aluminum, copper, and steel, are much more cost-effective to recycle and so it’s easier to find a facility that will take them off your hands.

If you’re unable to recycle pots and pans through your curbside program or a recycling center, you can also responsibly dispose of your old cookware by selling or donating it, renewing it, or reusing it.

Why should you recycle pots and pans?

It may seem like the easiest option for disposing of your damaged, broken, or unwanted cookware is to simply throw it in the trash. We all want to recycle pots and pans rather than sending them to landfill, as sending pots and pans to landfill may not only cause pollution, but it also means large amounts of resources need to be used to manufacture new items. Not to mention the environmental impact of mining and carbon emissions involved.

Non-stick pots and pans in particular use a considerable amount of energy during production. Refining and mining the materials used for these pans also have an environmental impact, as well as transporting the final product to its buyer.

Buying durable, high-quality cookware will go a long way to make sure you don’t have to throw it out very often. However, you will have to dispose of pots and pans eventually, when they’re damaged beyond repair.

When this happens, it’s important to recycle your cookware or otherwise dispose of it responsibly to avoid contributing to landfill and pollution, while making sure as many of the materials are reused as possible.

Furthermore, having an awareness of what type of cookware and kitchen utensils you can recycle will allow you to make more environmentally-friendly purchasing decisions. 

Modern manufacturers use a range of chemicals to make non-stick cookware sets that are resistant to high temperatures. However, these chemicals can be hazardous to animals and the environment more generally, as well as making the pan difficult to recycle.

Which types of cookware can you recycle?

If you want to recycle pots and pans, you need to know which types are accepted. Cookware can be made of a range of materials, some being easier to recycle than others. Furthermore, many modern pots, pans, and kitchen utensils are coated in various chemicals that make them more difficult to recycle.

The following types of cookware are generally accepted by recycling centers, and sometimes by local municipalities as part of special recycling pick up or drop off programs. In all cases, be sure to check with your local sanitation department or a recycling center in your area to see what cookware they’ll take for recycling.

Aluminum

Around 95-98 percent of all aluminum can be recycled, making this one of the most easily recyclable types of cookware. In fact, thanks to this metal’s excellent recyclable and durable properties, 75%  of all aluminum produced is still in use.

Most recycling centers will gladly recycle pots and pans, as well as utensils made of aluminum. Although most cookware is too big to be put through recycling machinery with other items, recycling centers usually have separate systems for metals.

Copper

Nothing beats copper when it comes to recyclable metals. It is 100% recyclable, and you can recycle copper over and over again. There’s no difference between recycled and freshly mined copper, making this very attractive for manufacturers and lucrative for recycling centers.

For this reason, copper is one of the metals that you may be able to earn a bit of cash by selling it to a recycling center or scrap metal dealer – learn how in our guide to recycling metal.

Stainless steel

According to the International Stainless Steel Forum, 85% of stainless steel products can be recycled into a new steel or iron product at the end of their life. Stainless steel is a popular choice for cookware and utensils, as it’s durable, resistant to scratches, and easy to clean.

The good news is that you can recycle these items through most recycling facilities. You can also get in touch with your local municipality to see if they have a special collection program for stainless steel and other metals – some areas run these on particular dates.

Cast iron

Cast iron is another easy-to-recycle metal commonly used to make cookware. This material is beloved by chefs for its durability, weight, and ability to retain heat, though it is more difficult to clean than other types of cookware.

Cast iron is a type of ferrous metal – a group of metals that contain iron. Both categories of metal are recyclable, but it’s easier to recycle recycle pots and pans made of non-ferrous metals as they don’t lose their strength, durability, and quality even after years of use.

On the other hand, ferrous metals must go through melting and purifying stages, after which they are converted into solid blocks, making them more difficult and costly to recycle.

Pots and pans with chemical coatings

Recycling centers generally accept pots and pans, but they may reject these items for a few reasons, most commonly because they have chemical coating. Cookware can have a range of coatings to make it non-stick and heat-resistant, most notably Teflon.

Teflon is a toxic material that can cause significant harm to human health, as well as the environment, which is why it shouldn’t be sent to landfill. For the same reason, not all recycling facilities are set up to handle these kinds of coatings.

However, there are many recycling centers that will take pans coated with Teflon and other chemicals. They strip the chemical coating , but this is quite a tedious process and might incur an additional fee.

Be sure to ask the facility if they’ll take chemically-coated cookware and, if so, if they charge an extra fee.

Can you recycle pots and pans that aren’t made of metal?

Unfortunately, generally can’t recycle pots and pans that aren’t made of metal. Your best bet is to either donate them to a charity or re-use them.

For example, ceramic pots are treated with a chemical that makes them more durable and resistant to high temperatures. While these properties make them ideal for cooking, it also makes them very difficult to recycle, and most programs won’t accept them.

In the same way, any non-metal components of pots and pans such as handles need to be separated before recycling. If possible, remove plastic and other parts before taking them to a recycling center – otherwise the facility should be able to do this, but they may charge a fee.

Depending on the material, you may be able to recycle these separately. For example plastic handles from metal pans can usually be recycled into new plastic products.

Can you recycle cooking utensils?

Yes, many types of cooking utensils can be recycled or reused. Kitchen knives can often be recycled, particularly if they’re made of aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, or carbon steel.

See our full guide to responsibly disposing of kitchen knives.

Likewise, most recycling centers will accept metal spatulas, cutlery, and other implements. Kitchen utensils made of silicone may also be recycled, though this is a bit trickier and you’ll need to find a specialized recycling center.

Can used cookware be reused?

If your local waste management authority or the recycling center won’t accept your old pots and pans, you may be able to reuse them. There are some circumstances where you cannot reuse old cookware, such as if it is damaged beyond repair, or if the Teflon coating is damaged or flaking off.

Otherwise, there are a number of ways to reuse or dispose of your used cookware without damaging the environment.

Give your old cookware new life

Most people don’t bother to try and recycle pots and pans that are in bad condition, due to the difficulty associated with this. Often, people instead discard their old cookware simply because it’s heavily stained or burnt. Before disposing of your soiled pots and pans, try to deep clean them and give them new life instead.

You can give cast iron cookware a good scrub with baking soda and dishwashing liquid. Once you have washed the pan, let it dry, put it in the oven at 350°F, and it will be like new.

You can also clean stainless steel pots and pans with baking soda – this will shift stubborn stains that chemical detergents can’t move.

Boil 1/4 cup of water in your stainless steel pot or pan, add a few tablespoons of baking soda and let it simmer for five to ten minutes. Finally, use a scouring pad to scrub away the stains.

Donate or sell your old pots and pans

Before you throw away your old cookware, see if someone could make use of it. If your used pots and pans are in good condition, you could donate them to a charity shop like Goodwill, or a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter.

You may even be able to sell it online through Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, or give it away on Freecycle.

Repurpose your old cookware

For any cookware that isn’t in good enough condition to donate and is unfit for recycling, the best way to responsibly dispose of it is by repurposing or upcycling it.

Here are some fun ways to repurpose old cookware:

• Use old pots and pans to store your favorite candies, cookies, or snacks
• Turn them into planters for your garden
• Give lightweight pieces to your kids for their toy kitchen
• Use it for your art and craft projects, such as melting candle wax or mixing handmade soaps
• Turn old muffin pans into organizers for your stationery or art supplies

How to recycle pots and pans all boils down to what they’re made of

A great way to look after the environment is to recycle pots and pans, or donate, reuse, or repurpose your old cookware and utensils. Furthermore, investing in sustainable and long-lasting pans will go a long way to minimizing your environmental impact.

It’s best to buy high-quality cookware that is designed to last and made of easily recyclable materials such as aluminum, copper, or stainless steel. Avoid cookware with Teflon and other chemical coatings, as not only is this difficult to recycle, but can be hazardous to people and the environment.

To learn about recycling metal more generally, check out our guide to how to recycle metal.

Can you recycle shredded paper?

Yes, you can recycle shredded paper. In fact, it can be recycled or repurposed multiple times before its fibers begin to lose their integrity.

However, it’s not as simple as just tossing it in the recycling bin. Small, lightweight pieces of shredded paper could easily be blown out of the bin, and end up polluting land or water systems.

Paper in this form also presents a problem for recycling centers, as it can get stuck in their machinery. Many facilities will accept this material, but only if they can handle it separately.

To help understand how to recycle shredded paper, let’s look at how paper is recycled en masse:

1. Recycling centers sort the paper and categorize it based on type, and sometimes quality.

2. They then further shred the paper into small pieces, before adding chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide, sodium silicate, sodium hydroxide, and water to create a mixture.

3. The facility works the mixture to break down the paper into its fibers, resulting in a mushy concoction known as pulp. This is the raw material used to make recycled paper.

4. The recycler then puts the pulp in a floatation tank, adding more chemicals and air bubbles to extract all the ink out and create a pure, white pulp. At this stage, they may add dye to make colored paper.

5. To dry the paper, the facility puts it through massive rollers to squeeze out excess water. They then send it through heated rollers for further drying before creating large rolls of paper ready for transport.

6. The rolls can be used for industrial purposes, or sent to manufacturers who cut them down and then make them into products like printer paper, newspaper, or books.

Because of these complexities, various municipalities have different rules for how to recycle shredded paper. Depending on where you live, you may need to put shredded paper in a clear plastic bag, a paper bag, or in a cardboard box before the sanitation department will accept it for recycling.

Therefore, you should always check with your local authority to know how to prepare your shredded paper for recycling. There are also ways to reuse paper, shredded or otherwise.

As long as it’s not coated in plastic, you can compost most types of paper. You could also reuse shredded paper to wrap fragile items to keep them safe in storage or transport, or even make new sheets of recycled paper.

Step-by-step guide on how to recycle shredded paper

Like other types of paper, shredded paper can be recycled, but you need to handle and manage it appropriately. Here’s how to recycle shredded paper, step by step.

1. Do your research

If you want to know how to recycle shredded paper, the first thing you’ll need to do is check with your local sanitation department, as curbside collection rules vary from city to city. Ask them if they’ll accept shredded paper for recycling, and in what form.

Though most towns take this kind of material, if your local authority doesn’t accept it, you’ll need to find a recycling center near you that does. You can find one using online search tools like Earth 911.

2. Pack it up

Package the shredded paper up following their instructions. If your local authority or recycling facility doesn’t have specific rules or guidelines, put it in a paper bag or cardboard box and use a marker to label it with “shredded paper” in large letters.

Then store it in a clean, dry place until you can put it out for collection.

3. Put it out or drop it off

If your local area takes shredded paper for recycling curbside, simply put it out for collection on the appropriate day. If sending to a recycling center, see if they offer a pickup service, otherwise you’ll need to drop it off at the facility.

You might have to pay a fee for them to take shredded paper off your hands, but it’s a small price to pay to protect the environment.

4. Keep track of take-back programs

In many locations, authorities run “take back” days where the community is invited to bring bags of recyclable materials that aren’t accepted curbside, such as shredded documents. Do your research and keep an eye on social media to keep up to date with these programs so you can responsibly dispose of your old documents responsibly. This is one way you can recycle shredded paper.

4. Reuse it

If you’re not sure how to recycle shredded paper, or able to do so easily, there are other options available to you. Some of these include reusing and recycling. Let’s take a closer look at these:

• Use it for composting – If you’re unable to recycle shredded paper, you’ll be pleased to know that most shredded paper is ideal for the compost bin. Just check that the paper does not contain glossy coating or colored ink (the toxic kind), as this is not suitable for composting. Otherwise, thin newspapers to heavy cardboard are perfect for compost, and shredding them further into small, fine pieces will speed up the process.

• Cover your outdoor spaces – Shredded paper and cardboard can also be used as mulch to keep weeds away or protect your plants and trees from the cold.

• Make pet cushions – You can also reuse shredded paper as stuffing for bedding for your furry friends.

• Use them for seed bombs – Shredded paper is ideal for making seed bombs, a fun and easy way to grow plants from seed. Simply mix shredded paper in a blender with some hot water, before adding a few teaspoons of flower or herb seeds. See full instructions here.

• Make your own recycled paper – Recycling paper is so easy, you can even do it yourself at home! Handmade paper is ideal for journaling, as a material for crafts, or as a unique gift. You can get creative with different colors and textures – learn the basics with this tutorial.

Recycling shredded paper FAQs

Recycling shredded paper can be a little complex, so we’ll clear up any doubts with these answers to commonly asked questions below.

Why should you recycle shredded paper?

Although paper is generally biodegradable, if not recycled properly, it can contribute to land pollution as well as the planet’s growing waste woes. In fact, paper is the third-largest industrial polluter of land, water, and air in the United States and produces approximately 100 million kg of toxic pollution every year.

Furthermore, recycling paper means fewer precious resources are used to manufacture brand new materials. Paper production uses an alarming amount of water: just one sheet of A4 paper needs nearly 20 liters of water for manufacture, as well as wood chips, a major contributor to deforestation.

Is it more difficult to recycle paper if it is shredded?

Yes, shredded paper can be more difficult to recycle than sheets of paper, cardboard boxes, newspapers, or paperback books. This is because shredded pieces may drift or blow away, or can get stuck in recycling machinery.

If you learn anything about how to recycle shredded paper, you’ll then discover that it must actually be separated from other types of paper and prepared appropriately for recycling. Always check with your local authority or recycling center to see how you need to prep this material.

How can I reuse shredded paper?

If you’re not entirely sure how to recycle shredded paper, or confident that you can do so easily, you’ll be pleased to know paper is also easy to reuse. In fact, it’s highly versatile and can be put to a range of uses. It’s ideal for making your own handmade paper, or for repurposing it for practical purposes, from stuffing to garden mulch.

If none of these ideas appeal, you can also put shredded paper in your compost bin.

Final thoughts on how to recycle shredded paper

You may not have thought much about how to recycle shredded paper, but it’s important to know the ins and outs of this process in order to dispose of your old documents responsibly.

If your local area takes shredded paper for recycling curbside, you can easily recycle it this way, though be sure to check how you need to pack it up. Otherwise, you can look for a recycling center that will take shredded paper, compost it, or reuse it.

For more on recycling common household materials, see our guides to responsibly disposing of wood, silicone, and propane gas tanks.

So, is aluminum foil recyclable, and is it eco-friendly? 

Is aluminum foil recyclable? The short answer is yes.

Aluminum, like many metals, can be easily recycled. According to The Aluminum Association, 75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use, thanks to recycling programs.

Recycling aluminum uses just 5% of the energy needed to produce new aluminum, which means significant savings for businesses and consumers, as well as helping to conserve energy and limit emissions. 

Like the metal, aluminum foil and cans can be recycled, not once but infinitely. Most municipalities will accept this material curbside, along with many recycling centers.

However, tin foil is only 100% recyclable as long as it’s not contaminated with oil, grease, or food residues. 

Types of aluminum foil that can’t be recycled include:

• Foil that’s covered in grease, excess oil, and food scraps
• Extremely thin or flimsy foil

Contaminated aluminum foil can damage a recycling facility’s equipment and very thin pieces may flake and get stuck in the machinery, which is why the center will check all foil carefully before accepting it. 

How eco-friendly is aluminum foil?

Generally speaking, all types of aluminum can be recycled, including foil, as long as it’s not contaminated with oil or food scraps. Because it’s so readily recyclable, aluminum foil is definitely better than single-use plastic and styrofoam alternatives like plastic wrap or disposable food containers, which are difficult or even impossible to recycle.

However, this doesn’t necessarily make aluminum an eco-hero. Many people throw their used alfoil in the trash, either because. 

Others may not clean it properly before recycling, leading to it being rejected by recycling facilities. Either way, this non-biodegradable material often ends up in landfill, and most people only use alfoil once before throwing it away.

Furthermore, manufacturing aluminum foil can have a range of negative impacts on the environment. Aluminum comes from bauxite ore, which is found close to the earth’s surface in Australia, Brazil, and India.

It’s extracted using relatively-shallow open-pit mining, which involves clearing large amounts of land and destroying natural ecosystems along the way. Furthermore, turning this ore into aluminum and eventually foil involves using large amounts of energy, generating high volumes of greenhouse emissions, as well as a range of chemicals to refine the mineral.

Recycling reduces the energy required to produce new aluminum foil by up to 95% and also avoids many of the negative environmental impacts discussed above.

Although aluminum foil is a fairly eco-friendly alternative to plastic wrap, there are even better options.

How to recycle aluminum foil

Aluminum foil is one of the most recyclable types of kitchen waste, but this doesn’t mean you can simply toss it out for recycling. It’s important to prepare this material properly for recycling, notably by cleaning it thoroughly.

Failure to do this could not only mean that your piece of aluminum foil won’t be recycled, but you could contaminate the entire load of recycling – meaning that a literal truckload of recyclable items may get sent to landfill! 

Here’s what you need to do to properly recycle aluminum foil.

1. Check with your municipality

Before you do anything else, make sure aluminum foil is accepted for recycling in your area. Most towns do accept it, but it’s always worth checking. Get in touch with your local sanitation department to check that they take foil for recycling, and if there’s anything you need to know.

Also, ask about the types of aluminum items they accept. If your municipality takes aluminum foil, there’s a good chance they’ll accept other items like cans as well.

If they don’t accept aluminum foil curbside, ask them if they have other recycling programs for the material. If you’re unlucky enough to live in an area that doesn’t accept alfoil, check with local recycling centers.

2. Separate the foil from other Items

Next, separate out the aluminum foil from other materials. This means things like tearing it off of yogurt containers or drink bottles. Even if the other items are recyclable, you’ll need to separate the different materials before the recycling center will accept them.

3. Clean the foil thoroughly 

Once you’ve separated the foil, wash it in warm water and dish soap. Make sure you remove all grease, oil, and food residues. 

You should ensure the foil is in good condition before recycling it. If it’s damaged to the point that you can’t shift stains or grease, don’t mix it with other recyclable materials.

However, don’t worry if exposure to hot water has changed the color of the foil. This is completely normal and has no impact on the recyclability.

If the foil is burnt or has small holes or tears, it is also usually recyclable as long as it isn’t greasy or dirty. 

4. Gather the clean foil

Once washed, checked, and ready to recycle, store the aluminum foil until you can recycle it. The easiest and neatest way to do this is to roll the pieces of foil into a ball.

Keep adding to your aluminum ball until you’re ready to put it out for recycling! It’s best to wait until the ball is at least two-inches round, as this will make it easier for waste workers to handle and minimize the risk of it getting blown away. 

Other ways to recycle aluminum foil

You can only send aluminum foil to a recycling program if it’s completely clean and not contaminated. However, if the foil is very damaged, or stained beyond cleaning, there are a few ways you can reuse or repurpose it to keep it out of the trash.

Reuse it for cooking

Aluminum foil is water-proof, meaning you can wash it multiple times before reusing it for baking, cooking or food storage. Foil is ideal for using in the oven, thanks to its tolerance to high temperatures, and is handy for covering baking trays or the bottom of the oven to catch spills.

Before you reuse foil for cooking, check it to make sure it’s in a suitable condition. If it’s scratched, very torn, or badly discolored, it’s better to repurpose it in another way rather than to use it for cooking. 

Clean your kitchen

Here’s a little-known yet effective cleaning hack: you can use aluminum foil to remove built-up or burnt-on food from your oven or stovetop. Roll the foil up into a loose ball and use it to scrub your stovetop or inside your oven with a little cleaner or baking soda, as you would with a cleaning brush.

You can also use aluminum foil to remove rust from stainless steel cookware. Use it regularly on chrome or steel pots, pans, and utensils to shift rust marks. 

Shine silverware or jewelry

Aluminum foil can also be used to renew your silverware. Cover the inside of a bowl or tray with foil, with the shiny side up, and place your silverware inside.

Pour boiling water into the bowl and add a few tablespoons of baking soda. Be sure to cover the silverware completely.

Agitate your silverware gently with plastic tongs and leave it in the bowl for a few minutes. Remove the pieces from the bowl and rub with a soft cloth or let it air dry.

You can use a similar process to clean your jewelry – just use a smaller bowl! Watch the video tutorial below to see it in action.

Sharpen your scissors

Another great use for aluminum foil is to sharpen your knives and scissors. Scissors, in particular, can be quite difficult to sharpen because of the twin blades.

However, this is easy to do with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Stack several layers of aluminum foil – the more layers the better – on top of each other and cut it with your blunt scissors or knife. You’ll be left with nice, sharp blades.

Use aluminum foil to keep pests away

You can also use aluminum foil to keep birds away from your fruit trees or veggie garden. Reflective silver strips have been used for this purpose for decades, and you can do the same with the shiny side of foil.

Simply hang strips of aluminum foil from the tree or wrap it around fully-grown fruit. 

Foil is also handy for protecting your plants from insects and pests. Finally, you can use small balls of aluminum foil to fill gaps in your doors, windows, or walls and keep pests away.

Get creative

Another idea for repurposing used aluminum foil is to give it to your kids and encourage them to turn the scratched, torn piece of foil into something extraordinary. Since foil can be molded into any shape and colored with markers, they can make robots, spaceships, or hot rods – they’ll only be limited by their imagination!

Final thoughts

Aluminum foil is recyclable, at least for the most part. Most municipalities will accept it curbside, as long as it’s cleaned properly.

If you are looking to do your part for the planet, recycling as much of your household waste as possible is a great place to start, and the first step to going completely zero-waste. However, it’s not enough to simply put your recyclables out for recycling pickup. You need to be sure to prep the materials properly, otherwise you could do more harm than good by contaminating the entire recycling load.

There are also other ways you can deal with your aluminum foil to avoid sending it to landfill, such as reusing it, putting it to use in your yard, or for art projects.

If you’re interested in more guides to recycling your household items, take a look at our posts on how to recycle corks, pens and markers, and milk cartons.

How to get rid of furniture responsibly 

There are much better ways to get rid of furniture than sending it to landfill, where these large, bulky pieces will take up huge amounts of space. Additionally, furniture is made of a range of resources such as wood, metal, and fabric, so it’s better to give old pieces new life instead of prompting people to exploit more resources.

Donate your old furniture

A great way to help the planet and give someone a hand at the same time is to donate your old furniture. There are plenty of people looking for affordable furniture in decent, usable condition – your trash may be someone else’s treasure!

Furthermore, by donating your old furniture to a charity shop, you’ll not only help someone in need to be able to buy it for an affordable price, but the organization can also use the funds they raise from selling your old desk and dining table to support their worthy projects.

Charity shops that accept furniture donations include:

• Goodwill
• Salvation Army
• Habitat for Humanity Restore

You could also get in touch with local organizations to see if they could put your old furniture to good use, such as:

• The Furniture Bank Association of North America (FBANA)
• Vietnam Veterans of America
• Homeless shelters
• Domestic violence victim support groups
• Community centers

In many cases you don’t even have to haul your unwanted furniture to a drop off point, as the charity will arrange to pick it up. Just make sure it’s in good condition – you should only donate pieces that someone would want to use.

Get in touch with the charity and find out what you need to do to donate your old pieces, and whether they’ll pick them up for you. They may not accept mattresses or pieces with upholstery like sofas, so be sure to check this first.

Sell your old furniture online

Selling your old cabinet or sofa is not only a sustainable way of recycling furniture, you may also be able to earn a bit of cash too!

You’ll be amazed at how many options there are for selling things online these days. Of course, the price you can expect to get will depend on the kind of piece and the condition it’s in.

However, unique retro or antique pieces (in good condition) are in high demand and can fetch a very decent price.

Options for selling furniture online include:

• Craigslist
• Facebook marketplace
• Kijiji (in Canada)

If you’re not able to sell your old furniture for cash, you may be able to swap it for something you actually need through swap groups on Facebook or Instagram. This is a great way to engage in the circular economy.

Have a garage sale

Online platforms can be great for selling your unwanted stuff, but sometimes it’s easiest to go old school and hold a garage sale. This is best if you have lower-value pieces that are unlikely to sell online and you simply want an easy way how to get rid of furniture without having to deal with shipping or pickup.

Garage sales are also fantastic if you’re moving or having a Marie Kondo-style clear out and have a lot of stuff to get rid of.

For the best results, publicize your garage sale by putting some signs up in your neighborhood and spreading the word on social media. You could even publish an ad in your local paper or online community notices.

To maximize your sales, be sure to present everything well – give dusty items a quick clean ahead of the garage sale. Use your negotiation skills to get the best price and sell sets of items together at bargain rates to shift as much as you can.

If nothing else, holding a garage sale is a great way to meet local people in your community!

Ask your municipality about pick-up services

If you can’t find anyone to buy your furniture or accept it as a donation, you can also contact your local municipality to see if they’ll take it away and dispose of it for you. This may be your only option to get rid of pieces in unusable condition, or that are too big to transport easily.

Many local sanitation authorities offer collection services of bulky waste, either by appointment or on specific dates. From there, they’ll either donate, recycle, or otherwise dispose of the pieces responsibly.

Get in touch with your local authority and see what your options are and what you need to do to arrange a pick up.

Take old furniture to a scrap dealer

Depending on the materials your furniture is made of, you may be able to recycle some components or the entire piece through a scrap dealer. These dealers are particularly interested in metals, which are generally high value.

Local scrap metal dealers can salvage metal bed frames, tables, or chairs. Many scrap yards even recycle metal components like mattress springs.

Once salvaged, scrap metal dealers typically sell these materials on to manufacturers, who then use them to make new products. This ensures that these valuable resources are reused, and helps to minimize the need for environmentally-destructive mining.

Furthermore, scrap metal is one of the few materials that facilities will actually pay you to recycle, so you may be able to earn a bit of cash while getting rid of your unwanted furniture. You can take a look at our guide to recycling metal for more on how this works – but the first step you should take is to make contact with a scrap metal dealer in your area.

Ask them if they’ll accept your old metal furniture and how much they’ll pay you for it. You can search for facilities on Earth 911’s search tool or the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries’ recyclers directory.

In most cases, you’ll need to arrange to transport the pieces to the dealer yourself, though some do offer pickup services.

Most dealers are more interested in (and therefore will pay more for) nonferrous metals, such as aluminum, brass, copper, lead, and stainless steel. As an easy test, you can hold a magnet up to your metal item – if it sticks, the metal is ferrous. If not, it’s a nonferrous metal.

Use a junk removal company

If you’re still looking for ideas on how to get rid of furniture then enlisting someone else is a good option. There are a range of companies that specialize in removing tricky and bulky items like unwanted furniture. Generally, these companies will assess each piece, recycle it, salvage it, or resell it if possible.

If none of these options are feasible, they’ll usually donate it to deserving organizations, or strip your furniture down into pieces that can be sold or recycled, and send the rest to landfill.

If you want to make sure your old items are disposed of as sustainably as possible, opt for an eco-friendly junk removal service. These companies make an effort to handle all items with care to maximize their reusability, and do everything they can to dispose of them sustainably instead of sending them to landfill.

Naturally, junk removal companies charge a fee for their service, and fees vary depending on the number of items, their size, and your location.

Repurpose old furniture

When it comes to sustainable furniture disposal, upcycling and repurposing are at the top of the list. This is a great opportunity to get creative instincts and turn your old furniture into something useful, beautiful, or both!

This could be something as simple as deep cleaning, repainting or repairing a broken or worn piece to make it as new, or you could turn it into something completely different. There’s even a growing trend for “flipping furniture”, where people buy old pieces, do them up, and sell them on for a profit.

Here’s some ideas for upcycling old pieces of furniture:

• Turn your old furniture into garden planters – check out these cool ideas.
• Repaint an old dresser to give it a fresh look: watch this video tutorial to learn how.
• Use chalk paint and wax to give old furniture a new look.
• Upcycle an old cabinet with burlap, like this one.

There are so many options, so don’t be afraid to explore your creative side and use different materials to rejuvenate your old furniture!

Take old furniture to landfill (only as a last resort)

If all of the above options don’t work for you, you can take your old furniture to a dump or landfill facility, if you absolutely must. However, you should only do this as a last resort, as our growing landfills are taking up more and more of the world’s precious space.

Additionally, you should always call ahead before taking your old furniture to landfill. Many sites are not open for public dumping, or are only open to the public on certain days.

Others will only accept certain items, including specific types of furniture.

Final thoughts on how to get rid of furniture

There are plenty of ways to get rid of your furniture without harming the environment. Aside from selling or donating your unwanted pieces, you can also repurpose or upcycle them, sell them for scrap metal, or hire an eco-friendly junk removal company.

If you’re wondering how to responsibly dispose of other tricky items, take a look at our guides to getting rid of kitchen knives, razor blades, and wood sustainably.

Read on to find out how!

So is wood recyclable?

So is wood recyclable, and is it easy? As stated, yes it is – but as you’ve probably already guessed, you can’t put wood out for recycling curbside (if we all started leaving our wooden dressers and tables out on the street, it could start becoming a problem). However, you can recycle wood in a few different ways, as well as repurpose or upcycle it.

Certain types of wood can be recycled by facilities that have the correct equipment to clean, chip, or shred it. Regular recycling centers don’t usually have this kind of equipment, but there are dedicated facilities that do.

Once shredded, the wood can be used to manufacture new products, such as construction materials, mulch for landscaping, and paper. It can also be used for fuel to generate energy.

It’s worth noting that not all kinds of wood can be recycled this way – the most recyclable is what’s known as “clean wood”. This is raw wood that has not been painted, stained, treated, or glued.

Most wood used for construction, furniture, and other common uses will be painted or treated in some way, so you’ll probably only come across clean wood which has been used to make pallets or as raw, untreated lumber.

Some wood recycling centers will accept other types of wood which can also be recycled, just into a more narrow range of products.

Though not accepted by wood recycling centers, grade D wood can be repurposed or reused in other ways to keep it out of the waste stream.

Why you should recycle wood

Recycling wood whenever possible is vital to conserve one of the world’s most precious resources – our forests.

Deforestation is a major environmental issue: experts predict we’ll only have 10% of the earth’s original forests left by 2030 if we keep heading in our current direction.

Deforestation contributes to habitat destruction, species extinction, water shortages, and global warming. Forests are natural carbon sinks that absorb carbon dioxide, so the more trees we cut down for wood and their products, the more of this dangerous greenhouse gas ends up in the atmosphere.

Furthermore, although wood is biodegradable, it’s not good news for the environment when it breaks down in landfill. Not only does it take longer to decompose in these conditions, when it does it releases methane gas, one of the worst greenhouse gases.

Furthermore, painted and treated wood can release a range of toxic chemicals into the air, soil, and water system as it breaks down.

Otherwise, you could burn any wood you have on your hands, but this is also bad news for the environment, (as well as involving risks to your health). Burning even clean wood generates methane, carbon monoxide, and other greenhouse gases.

Burning stained, painted, or treated wood is even worse, as this releases all kinds of chemicals into the atmosphere.

Therefore, you should always try to recycle wood if at all possible!

How to recycle wood

You most likely can’t put wood out for recycling curbside, but you do have a few options for recycling, repurposing, and upcycling old wood.

Take it to a wood recycling facility

If you have certain types of wood, you can drop it at a wood recycling facility. These facilities accept clean wood, and some may also take natural wood such as tree limbs and branches.

Here’s how to recycle would through a specialized wood recycling center:

1. Contact your local sanitation department and ask if they have a wood recycling facility. If not, ask them to direct you to the closest recycling center that handles wood.

2. Ask them what type of wood they accept – that is, whether they only take clean wood or if they also accept treated wood. Also, check for any special instructions for preparing the wood for recycling.

3. Sort the wood into different types – separate out clean, untreated, and unpainted wood as this is all that the recycling facility will accept. If the facility accepts yard waste like tree limbs, gather this together as well.

4. Bundle up the clean wood, and do the same for yard waste.

5. Drop it off at the recycling facility.

Sell it or donate it to a good cause

There is a growing demand for wood as a sustainable building material. Old wood from a variety of sources can be used to construct everything from houses to furniture.

Interested in learning more about recycled building materials? Take a look at our complete guide on the subject here.

If you have wood that is in good condition, you may be able to sell it on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. Otherwise, you could give it away on Freecycle, or see if any local charitable organizations would appreciate the donation to use for construction or similar.

If you have wooden furniture that is in reasonably good condition, you could also donate this to a charity like a local homeless shelter, or give to a Goodwill or Salvation Army donation center. Check our separate guide to learn how to get rid of furniture in a responsible way.

Use the wood as fuel

One of the most traditional uses of wood is for fuel, and this is something you can consider depending on the type of wood you have on hand. However, you should never burn painted, stained, or treated wood, as these can release toxins that are hazardous to both human health and the environment when burned.

If you have clean, burnable wood like old tree limbs, burning it in an energy-efficient stove is a good alternative to using fossil fuel-generated forms of heat, such as electric or gas heaters. However, there are more eco-friendly options, such as bioethanol and pellet fireplaces – check out our guide to eco-friendly fireplaces to learn more.

Equally, if you have clean wood such as pallets, it’s arguably more eco-friendly to recycle this through a dedicated facility.

Upcycle it

Painted, stained and treated wood is not able to be recycled through a wood processing facility, but it is often ideal as a raw material for DIY projects. You can always strip it back and stain or paint it in any shade you’d like.

There are hundreds of ways you can reuse and upcycle old wood, here are just a few sample projects:

• Make a unique dining table like this one
• Craft a storage chest – check out this tutorial to learn how
• Turn old pallets into a planter for your yard
• Repurpose wood pieces into a hanging bathroom organizer
• Create a stunning wall from reclaimed pallets
• Make a work table for your other DIY projects

You can compost certain types of wood

This is only an option for untreated wood or yard waste, that is sticks, branches, and tree limbs. You can compost these types of wood in your regular compost bin by chopping or breaking them up into small pieces.

You could compost large limbs and big pieces of wood, but this will take a long time!

Before composting your old wood, be sure to check it thoroughly to make sure it isn’t diseased or infested with insects. Both these things can ruin your compost, so look for other options if you spot either of these issues with your wood.

Take it to a dump

If you really can’t find any other way to deal with your old wood, you can drop it at landfill.

Also keep in mind that this usually involves a fee, typically based on weight. These fees can vary depending on where you live, though some municipalities offer free days where you can drop off materials like wood for free.

FAQs

We’ve covered some of the most commonly asked questions about recycling wood to clear up any doubts. 

Can I recycle wood curbside?

No, while you can recycle some types of wood, you can’t recycle it in your regular curbside recycling program. There are specialized wood recycling centers that accept clean, unpainted, and untreated wood, as well as yard waste in some cases.

Unclean wood is not suitable for recycling through these facilities. You can repurpose or upcycle this kind of material, or take it to a landfill as a last resort.

Can I put wood in my compost bin?

Yes, you can put wood in your compost bin, but only certain kinds of wood. Clean, unpainted, and untreated wood is compostable, but not any type of coated wood.

You also want to avoid putting diseased or infested pieces of wood in your compost as this will play havoc with your compost pile.

Final thoughts

We hope you now know the answer to the question “is wood recyclable?” and are confident in how to dispose of wood responsibly! Though not all types of wood are accepted through recycling centers, even those specialized in this type of material, you have other options.

You can donate, repurpose, compost, and upcycle wood and wooden items, to make the most of the earth’s resources and avoid pollution caused when it breaks down in landfill.

For more on how to reuse and repurpose wood, take a look at our comprehensive reclaimed wood buyer’s guide.