Unusual Things You Didn’t Know You Could Recycle
Discover surprising items you can recycle and how to give them a new life, reducing waste and supporting a circular economy.
Most people are familiar with recycling basics—paper, glass bottles, aluminum cans—but a surprising array of everyday items can be recycled or repurposed beyond the standard curbside bin. Expanding our recycling knowledge can help minimize landfill waste, conserve resources, and promote more sustainable living. Below, discover surprising items you can recycle, what makes them challenging, and how to dispose of them responsibly.
Why Recycling the Unusual Matters
Landfills are brimming with items that could have avoided burial if more people knew about specialized recycling programs. Manufacturing and disposal have environmental costs: greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion, and chemical pollution. By giving overlooked household objects a second life, you support a circular economy, ensuring materials get reused rather than extracted anew.
Surprising Items You Can Recycle (If You Know How)
Here are unexpected household items—often discarded as trash—that could be recycled or reused with the right strategies:
1. Eyeglasses
If you wear glasses, consider their fate after your prescription changes. Rather than stashing them in a drawer, donate your old pairs to organizations that redistribute them to people in need worldwide.
- Donation programs: Many optometrists and international charities accept usable glasses for redistribution. Look for drop boxes at vision centers and participate in community drives.
- What happens next? Lenses may be matched to prescriptions, while frames are sanitized and adjusted before being sent to underserved populations.
2. Wine Corks
Real cork—made from tree bark—can have a second life. Manufacturers and crafters increasingly collect clean, natural corks to make new products and materials.
- Drop-off locations: Grocery stores, wine shops, and green events often have cork recycling bins.
- Recycled products: Collected corks are repurposed into flooring, insulation, shoes, and even craft supplies.
3. Shoes
Don’t toss worn-out or outgrown shoes; chances are, there’s a way to keep them out of the dump.
- Donation: Many thrift stores and charities refurbish and distribute shoes, even if gently worn.
- Shoe recycling programs: Some brands accept any brand’s shoes for recycling, grinding them down into playground surfaces, running tracks, or construction materials.
4. Household Batteries
Dead batteries should never go in the trash: their chemicals and heavy metals are hazardous. Specialized programs safely process them, recovering reusable metals and preventing environmental harm.
- Take-back programs: Hardware stores, electronics retailers, and community recycling centers collect alkaline, lithium, nickel-cadmium, and other household batteries.
5. Crayons
Kids outgrow crayons, and worn nubs tend to get tossed. However, crayon wax can be melted and molded into new art supplies for donation or reuse.
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- Specialty recyclers: National programs accept old crayons via mail, processing them into fresh sets for children in need.
- DIY tips: At home, old crayons can be melted in molds to make new colors, shapes, or mixed-medium projects.
6. Bicycle Tires and Tubes
Worn bicycle tires and tubes contain valuable rubber but are often dismissed as trash. Specialized programs collect and recycle these materials into flooring, playground surfaces, and industrial products.
- Local bike shops: Ask your local shop if they partner with recycling programs or manufacturers that collect used tubes and tires.
- Upcycling ideas: Many crafters turn bike tubes into wallets, belts, jewelry, or handlebar grips.
7. Appliances (Large and Small)
Kitchen gadgets, small electronics, or even large white goods (refrigerators, washing machines) contain recyclable metals, plastics, and glass.
- Retailer take-back programs: Some appliance retailers will haul away old units for safe recycling when you buy new ones.
- Community recycling events: Municipalities may offer e-waste or appliance collection days, separating hazardous and recyclable materials.
- Caution: Properly dispose of refrigerants and electronics through certified programs, as these contain substances toxic to the environment.
8. CDs, DVDs, and Cases
Digital media is fading, leaving stacks of obsolete discs and cases. These contain plastics that aren’t accepted curbside but can be recycled through specialized mail-in or drop-off programs.
- Mail-back programs: Certain recycling services process, shred, and reuse plastic from media.
- Creative reuse: Use discs for home décor projects, mosaics, or reflective garden scares for birds.
9. Toothbrushes and Oral Care Waste
Since toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, and dental floss containers often combine plastics and metal, curbside recycling doesn’t work. However, mail-in programs exist for complex oral care products.
- Brand-specific recycling: Major oral care brands and eco-organizations partner to accept oral care waste and upcycle it into new products.
10. Holiday Lights
Broken string lights contain copper and plastics. Before tossing your burnt-out holiday lights, check for recycling drives, especially after major holidays, where lights are collected and stripped for their recoverable components.
- Store collection programs: Many major retailers collect broken lights for recycling after the holiday season.
11. Clothing and Textiles
Even clothing and linens too worn to donate can avoid the landfill. Textile recycling turns threadbare fabrics into insulation, industrial rags, or material for new textiles.
- Local collection bins: Look for textile-specific recycling bins at community recycling centers or parking lots.
- Reuse first: Clothes in wearable condition are best donated to thrift stores or charities.
12. Cell Phones and Electronics
Electronics contain valuable (and hazardous) components. Legislation often requires retailers to accept old gadgets for responsible recycling.
- Trade-in programs: Many mobile carriers and manufacturers accept phones for recycling and may offer trade-in value.
- Data safety: Always delete your data or perform a factory reset before recycling or donating any device.
13. Ink and Toner Cartridges
Printer ink and toner cartridges add up quickly, but mail-back or in-store drop-off programs allow their plastics and metals to be reused.
- Office supply retailers: Major chains often have drop boxes for empty cartridges and may provide discounts on replacements.
14. Cosmetic Containers
Beauty products are packaged in a mix of glass, plastic, and metal, often making recycling complex. Some brands accept empty containers as part of recycling initiatives, while mail-in programs help avoid landfill waste.
- Brand-specific recycling: Bring empty containers to participating cosmetic stores, which may even reward recycling with discounts or freebies.
15. Mattresses
Mattresses are bulky and complex, containing wood, metal springs, fabrics, and foam. Mattress recycling centers dismantle and process these components. Some municipalities offer curbside mattress recycling or drop-off events.
16. Medications
Never flush unused medication. Instead, use local pharmacy take-back programs and authorized medication disposal kiosks to safely handle pharmaceuticals, keeping them out of the water supply and environment.
More Surprising Things You Can Recycle
- Keys and scrap metal – Drop these at municipal recycling centers or scrap yards.
- Bras and underwear – Some programs recycle textiles otherwise hard to donate.
- Greeting cards and wrapping paper – Many are recyclable unless they contain foil, glitter, or non-paper embellishments.
- Sports equipment – Certain brands or nonprofits repair and donate old gear or recycle it by material type.
Tips for Responsible Recycling
- Ask your local recycling provider what items can be accepted curbside, and use specialty recycling or drop-off centers for the rest.
- Clean before recycling: Remove food, liquids, or other contamination from items to improve recycling quality.
- Reduce, then recycle: Rethink purchases, choose reusable products, and repurpose what you can before recycling.
- Look for take-back programs provided by retailers or manufacturers for items like batteries, electronics, or cartridges.
- Beware of wishcycling: Tossing questionable items in the recycling in hopes they’re recyclable can contaminate entire batches, doing more harm than good.
Creative Ways to Reuse and Upcycle
Recycling isn’t just about sending materials to a facility. With a little creativity, you can repurpose many household objects:
- Turn glass jars into storage containers, vases, or lanterns.
- Transform fabric scraps into cleaning rags, quilts, or pet toys.
- Use old toothbrushes as detail cleaning brushes.
- Craft with bottle caps, wine corks, or chipped ceramics.
Quick Reference Table: Can You Recycle This?
| Item | Standard Curbside? | Special Handling? | Best Option |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eyeglasses | No | Yes | Donate to vision charity |
| Wine corks | No | Yes | Drop-off at cork recycling point |
| Batteries | No | Yes | Retailer/municipal collection |
| Crayons | No | Yes | Mail-in, re-melt at home |
| Shoes | No | Yes | Shoe recycling/donation program |
| Appliances | No | Yes | Retailer collection, municipal e-waste |
| Cell phones | No | Yes | Trade-in/recycling event |
| Mattresses | No | Yes | Mattress recycling center |
| Holiday lights | No | Yes | Store/government collection |
| Ink cartridges | No | Yes | Mail-in or office supply retailer |
| Toothbrushes/oral care | No | Yes | Mail-in recycling program |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do these recycling programs really make a difference?
Yes. Every item kept out of a landfill conserves resources, energy, and space. When materials are reused or transformed, fewer new resources are needed and pollution is reduced.
Is it better to recycle or donate used items?
If an item is still functional, donating or directly reusing extends its life with minimal additional energy. When donation isn’t possible, recycling ensures materials are reprocessed rather than wasted.
How can I find local recycling or drop-off centers for unusual items?
Check your city or county’s waste management website for “hard-to-recycle” items, or use national recycling directories. Many retailers also list in-store collection policies for specific items.
Why must some items be separated from standard recycling?
Complex materials or hazardous substances require special processes. Mixing them with curbside recyclables can damage machinery, lower recyclability, and create safety risks.
What can I do if there is no recycling program for an item in my area?
Prioritize reducing and reusing. Seek mail-in options or check if nearby communities have programs. Some brands offer free take-back even if retailers locally do not participate.
Towards a Greener Tomorrow
Embracing creative and responsible recycling habits helps reduce our environmental impact and supports a thriving circular economy. Spread awareness about unusual items you can recycle, and together we can keep more materials circulating and less in the landfill. Every item matters—and every conscious choice counts.
References
- https://www.thefactsite.com/non-recyclable-things/
- https://www.recology.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/DiR-Newstart.2-11-20.pdf
- https://www.mountainview.gov/our-city/departments/public-works/recycling-zero-waste/trash-recycling-services/what-goes-where
- https://home.howstuffworks.com/green-living/surprising-compost-items.htm
- https://ecooptimism.com/?tag=treehugger
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