19 Surprising Things That Can Be Recycled (And How To Do It)

Other Things That Can Be Recycled, Beyond Paper And Plastic

You probably already recycle common recyclables like paper, plastic, aluminum cans, and glass bottles, which is a great thing! Recycling these materials helps to conserve resources, save energy, protects the environment, and reduce the amount of trash in our landfills.

Related: Do You Know What You Should And Shouldn’t Recycle?

But there are likely other things that can be recycled lying around your home that you may not know about. Find out about 19 things you can recycle below, and get rid of thing you don’t need and keep waste out of landfills at the same time!

19 Surprising Things You Can Recycle

1. Cell Phones

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, fewer than 20 percent of cell phones are recycled each year. Most cell carriers have programs for recycling old phones — check your carrier’s website for details.

Another option is Cell Phones for Soldiers, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing cost-free communication services and emergency funding to active-duty military members and veterans around the world.

2. Crayons

Crayons aren’t as fun to use once they’re small or broken, and most of those pieces end up going right into the trash. But if you save all those unused pieces of crayons, you can donate them to the National Crayon Recycle Program, which collects the materials for Crazy Crayons. Alternatively, you could mail them to The Crayon Initiative in California, which turns old crayons into new ones and donates them to children’s hospitals across the country.

3. Batteries

There was a time when nobody really recycled batteries, but now it’s much easier to recycle your used batteries. Many national retailers such as Best Buy, The Home Depot, Staples and Lowe’s accept reusable ones, as does Call2Recycle.

4. VHS Tapes

If you have VHS tapes that you don’t use anymore (I know I do!) and they aren’t fit to donate, recycle them! There’s a company called Green Disk, who will recycle your “technotrash” for you. The tapes are taken apart and shredded and then turned into all kinds of useful things, like product packaging.

5. Running Shoes

Don’t know what to do with your old running shoes? Instead of throwing them out, send them to a recycling program. Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program accepts old sneakers (any brand) and recycles them into courts for various sports so kids around the world have a place to play. If your sneakers are still in good shape, donate them to needy athletes in the United States and around the world through One World Running.

Related: These 10 Brands Make The Most Comfortable Shoes Ever

6. Inhalers

More than 46 million people throw away their inhalers every year. This is a huge amount of waste that can be recycled. If you bring your used inhalers to participating pharmacies, they will be broken down into plastics and aluminum.

7. Cosmetics

Cosmetic packaging probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when considering recycling, but compacts, tubs, tubes, and other containers can be easily recycled. Various companies have their own programs, including: Lush, MAC Cosmetics, and Kiehl’s, to name a few.

8. Corks

Wine corks can be recycled and used in a variety of materials including flooring tiles, insulation, automotive parts, and sports equipment. Some Whole Foods locations, wineries, and breweries have drop boxes where you can recycle corks, so look for one the next time you’re grocery shopping. The organization ReCORK also has drop boxes in various locations.

9. Prescription Drugs

Most people simply throw away or flush old prescriptions. This can cause a number of environmental issues because drugs get into streams and leak into landfills. Take advantage of community drug take-back programs that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for proper disposal.

10. Mattresses

More than 50,000 mattresses end up in U.S. landfills each day. Fortunately, you can change that. Bye Bye Mattress will help you find your closest recycling facility. Recycled mattresses are used to make fiber for scrap metal, wood chips, clothing, and foam products.

11. Bras

Check out the Bra Recyclers website to learn more about the Bosom Buddies Program in which donated bras of all shapes and sizes are given to local shelters or redistributed to women in developing nations.

Related: This Brand Makes The Most Comfortable Bras Ever

12. Apple Products

Apple Trade In is a trade-in and recycling program that’s good for you and the planet. If your trade-in device is eligible for credit, you can use it to offset the cost of a new Apple device. If your device isn’t eligible for credit, they’ll recycle it for you for free, so it’s a win either way!

Related: Clever Ways To Recycle Your Old Smartphone Cases

13. Eyeglasses

Donate your old eyeglasses and sunglasses to help people with eyesight difficulties worldwide. (Sunglasses can be non-prescription. They are needed in countries near the equator to help protect people’s eyes from sun damage.) Go to Lions Clubs International to find out how to recycle your old glasses. You can take them to a Walmart vision center, a local Lions Club, or mail them in.

14. Hearing Aids

Send your old hearing aids to the Hearing Aid Project to give the gift of hearing to those in need and contribute to a healthy environment. Any make or model, regardless of age, can be donated. All donations are tax deductible and a letter of acknowledgment will be sent to all donors.

15. Holiday Lights

Send those energy-sucking strands of holiday lights off to HolidayLEDs.com to be recycled and you’ll get a discount coupon you can put toward the new, twinkly LED lights of your dreams. The Christmas Light Recycling Program is open year round.

16. Juice Pouches

Because most are a combination of a plastic polymer and aluminum, drink pouches aren’t typically recyclable. However, TerraCycle has a program sponsored by Honest Kids that accepts empty Honest Kids, Capri Sun, and Kool-Aid drink pouches at select drop-off locations.

17. Backpacks

The American Birding Association collects backpacks and other field gear (binoculars, etc) and redistributes it, free of charge, to researchers, conservationists, and educators working to conserve birds and their habitats in the Neotropics.

18. Greeting Cards

St. Jude’s Ranch for Children accepts new and used, all-occasion greeting cards all year. They recycle the cards and then create new ones from them. Money raised from selling the new cards helps fund programming for abused, neglected or homeless children, young adults and families.

19. Keys

The Keys for Hope Foundation is a non-profit that seeks to end hunger. The foundation helps by raising money from key drives and donations. The keys are weighed and then sold at recycling centers for scrap metal.

Related: These Are The 9 Best Containers To Repurpose

Were you surprised by any of these things you can recycle?