Recycle Center
Recycle Center
Items We Accept Daily
Annual Drives
Cell phones and Tablets are recycled through Secure the Call.
Accepted items: Cell phones, tablets, and their chargers
Best practices for recycling: Please erase any personal information, photos, and private data from old phones/tablets and remove cases. Please include chargers with cell phone/tablet.
What happens to the waste: Cell phones/tablets are donated to those in high risk areas who may need quick access to 911.
Learn more about the recycling process.
Accepted Items:
- Alkaline Batteries ONLY.
Best practices: NO leaking or visibly corroded batteries may be collected. Most batteries indicate what type they are. Please use best judgement – if it is not clear or the language does not match the above, best to NOT place in the collection containers. Instead, take the batteries to your local transfer station.
Want to recycle other types? Find your local transfer stations here:
- Westchester, NY –Yonkers Recycling Center
- Paramus, NJ– Paramus Recycling Center
- Philly Region– Philadelphia Recycling Centers
- Baltimore Region– Baltimore Recycling Centers
- DC Region – DC Department of Public Works
- Montgomery County Region– Montgomery County Transfer Station
- Northern, VA– Fairfax County Recycling Center
- Waldorf, MD– Charles County Recycling Centers
How: Please bring compost in a reusable bin (to dump loose) or in compostable bags. Plastic bags contaminate the waste stream and are not accepted.
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)
Glasses are recycled by local Lions Club chapters.
Accepted items: Eyeglasses and sunglasses. (No cases or bags please!)
Best practices for recycling: Glasses should be removed from their case and placed in the recycling box.
What happens to the waste: 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.
Oyster shells are recycled through the Oyster Recovery Partnership.
Accepted items: Oyster shells.
Best practices for recycling: Shells should be dumped into our recycling bins loose – please no bags. Keep our collection bin contaminant-free – no napkins, toothpicks, forks, etc.
If you have any questions, have a particularly large amount of shells or need any assistance please see a team member.
What happens to the waste: Oyster shell is the best medium to grow baby oysters (spat) on and help restore Chesapeake Bay oyster reefs! Recycling oyster shells saves this ecologically important byproduct and keeps them from going into landfills.
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.
Natural Cork is recycled through Cork Forest Conservation Alliance. More details here.
Accepted waste: Natural cork only. Synthetic corks are not allowed and will contaminate the collection.
Best practices for recycling: Please take corks out of bags used to transport them and distribute into MOM’s Recycling Center cork bin.
What happens to the waste: The cork is shipped to our recycling Partner, Cork Forest Conservation Alliance where it is grinded and used to make new sustainable items such as cork bobbers for fishing, consumer and industrial products, and recycled shipping materials.
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.
We host our Holiday Lights Recycling Drive in the winter. Please only recycle lights during the published dates.
Accepted items: Holiday lights, run-down, well-used, or not-working
Best practices for recycling: Please remove lights from bags and place in the designated Holiday Lights recycling bin.
What happens to the waste: A Better Way 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!