Last year we recycled…
Natural Cork
Denim
Batteries
Shoes
Food Squeeze Pouches
Cardboard
Compost
Items We Accept Daily
Bar Wrappers
Bar Wrappers are recycled through Terracycle.
Accepted items: Foil-lined energy bar, granola bar, meal replacement bar, protein bar, and diet bar wrappers
Best practices for recycling : Please make sure all excess food remnants have been removed. Items must also be completely dry.
What happens to the waste: Wrappers are melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products. Learn more about the recycling process.
Batteries
Batteries are recycled through Battery Solutions. Accepted items: Alkaline, Zinc Carbon, Nickel Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), Lithium-ion, Lithium Primary, Mercury Batteries, Silver Oxide, Button Cells, and Lead Acid – Non-Spillable Best practices for recycling: Please take large batteries or batteries with terminals to the Customer Service/Help Desk for safe handling. Batteries with terminals need to have terminals covered with tape. What happens to the waste: Each battery is recycled differently. Learn more about the recycling process.
Brita Filters
Brita Filters are recycled through Terracycle
Accepted items: Brita® pitchers, Brita® bottles, all types of Brita® filters, Brita® faucet filtration systems, Brita® filter packaging, and Brita® dispensers
Best practices for recycling: Please ensure items are completely dry.
What happens to the waste: Brita® products and packaging are separated by composition and shredded to make new recycled products. The carbon filters are separated for use in polymers. Learn more about the recycling process.
Cell Phones
Cell phones are recycled through Secure the Call.
Accepted items: Cell phones and their chargers
Best practices for recycling: Please erase any personal information, photos, and private data from old phones and remove cases. Please include chargers with cell phone.
What happens to the waste: Cell phones are donated to those in high risk areas who may need quick access to 911. Learn more about the recycling process.
Compost
Compost is collected by private haulers, which vary by store. More on some of these partners below:
Veteran Compost: This veteran-owned business turns food scraps into high quality organic compost in MD, DC, and VA. They are the only vermicomposting (commercial worm composting) operation in Maryland and are 100% Wind Powered.
Kitchen Harvest: Check out their operation!
Accepted items: All food waste including eggshells, coffee grinds & plastics that say ‘compostable’ or ‘biodegradable,’ MOM’s reusable bags, plus any item from Naked Lunch (food containers, cups, napkins, and utensils)
What happens to the waste: These items become compost that’s ready for your farm, garden, lawn, and/or landscaping!
Drink Pouches
Drink Pouches are recycled through Terracycle.
Accepted items: Aluminum & plastic drink pouches (including straws) and drink pouches with spouts
Best practices for recycling: Please make sure all excess beverage has been squeezed out. Items must be completely dry.
What happens to the waste: Pouches are melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products. Learn more about the recycling process.
Food Squeeze Pouches
Food Squeeze Pouches are recycled through Terracycle.
Accepted items: Adult and baby food squeeze pouches and caps
Best practices for recycling: Please make sure all excess food remnants have been removed. Items must be completely dry.
What happens to the waste: Food squeeze pouches are melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products. More on the recycling process here and here.
Glasses
Glasses are recycled by Alaffia, Lions Club, or other local charities.
What happens to the waste: Alaffia collects glasses and employs an optometrist in Togo, Africa to correctly fit and distribute them to the visually impaired. Normally, a pair of glasses can cost up to 4 months of wages. Alaffia has collected and distributed over 14,200 pairs of glasses. The Lions Recycle for Sight program has volunteers who clean, sort by prescription strength and package the glasses. Recycled glasses are then distributed to people in need in low & middle income communities.
Health and Beauty Packaging
Health and Beauty Packaging are recycled through Terracycle
Accepted items: Toothpaste tubes & caps, toothbrushes, deodorant containers & caps, mouthwash bottles & caps, soap packaging & dispensers, floss containers, shampoo & conditioner caps, hair gel tubes & caps, hair spray triggers, lip balm/gloss tubes & caps, lotion dispensers & caps, lipstick cases, mascara tubes, eye shadow cases, bronzer cases, foundation packaging, powder cases, eyeliner cases, eyeliner pencils, eye shadow tubes, concealer tubes, concealer sticks, lip liner pencils, etc.
Best practices for recycling: Please make sure all leftover product has been removed. Items must be completely dry.
What happens to the waste: Personal care and beauty packaging is separated by polymer type, cleaned, and extruded into plastic pellets to make new recycled products. More on the recycling process here and here.
Natural Cork
Natural Cork is recycled through ReCORK.
Accepted items: Natural cork only (no synthetic cork)
What happens to the waste: ReCORK grinds the cork and uses it to make new sustainable items like yoga blocks, surf traction pads, and soles for shoes. Learn more about the recycling process.
Plastic
Plastic is recycled through Integrated Waste Analysts.
Accepted items: Bubble wrap, plastic/cling wrap, and bread, cereal, English muffin, grocery, and Ziplock bags
Best practices for recycling: Please make sure all excess food remnants have been removed. Items must be completely dry.
What happens to the waste: Plastic is shipped to a plastics processing plant, where it’s broken apart and shredded into flakes or pellets. Manufacturers of plastic goods then melt them down into new products like plastic lumber, containers for non-food products, compost bins, and more!
Shoes
Shoes are recycled through Planet Aid.
Accepted items: Both new and worn-out/unwearable shoes including sneakers, sandals, and other footwear
Best practices for recycling: If shoes have laces, please tie matching shoes together. If you need any assistance, feel free to ask a MOM’s employee.
What happens to the waste: Shoes that can no longer be worn are reprocessed into pillow stuffing, carpet padding, wiping cloths, and other products. Learn more about the recycling process.
Snack Bags
Snack Bags are recycled through Terracycle.
Accepted items: Family-size and individual snack/chip/pretzel/savory snack bags.
Best practices for recycling: Please make sure all excess food remnants have been removed. Items must be completely dry.
What happens to the waste: Snack bags are melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products. Learn more about the recycling process.
Annual Drives
Denim
We usually host our Denim Drive in the spring. Please only recycle denim during the published dates.
Accepted items: All types of denim including colored, embellished, and printed; all articles are included as well – pants, jackets, shirts, skirts, etc.
Best practices for recycling: Please only bring clean, dry denim for recycling. Stores like Madewell, H&M, and Levi’s often provide year round denim recycling.
What happens to the waste: Blue Jeans Go Green™ recycles all denim into UltraTouch™ Denim Insulation and distributes it to charitable organizations for use in community housing projects.
Holiday Lights
We host our Holiday Lights Recycling Drive in the winter. Please only recycle lights during the published dates.
Accepted items: All holiday lights, working or not-working
Best practices for recycling: Please remove lights from bags and place in designated Holiday Lights recycling bin.
What happens to the waste: Capitol Asset Recycling collects all lights, and then breaks them down through smelting or shredding to recover raw commodities. These raw commodities are then used to create roofing and construction materials, piping, car batteries, other electronics, lead wheel weights, flatware, jewelry, and more!