How to Recycle Items You Didn’t Know Were Recyclable
From batteries to paint, Keep America Beautiful offers tips and resources this America Recycles Day for safely recycling tricky items
During the month of November, Keep America Beautiful® promotes recycling through its America Recycles Day® initiative, striving to clarify misconceptions about recycling and inspire everyone in America to participate in proper recycling behaviors. While plastics, metals, glass, and paper are commonly known as recyclable materials, there are trickier items that often leave us wondering how to dispose of them responsibly.
Batteries, for example, are a household staple, yet they contain chemicals that can be harmful to the environment if disposed of improperly. Through specialized programs like those offered by Cirba Solutions, an America Recycles Day sponsor, we can safely recover valuable metals and prevent toxic leaks in landfills, ensuring batteries are responsibly recycled.
Another common but harmful waste item is cigarette butts, which make up nearly 90% of litter across America that is 4 inches or smaller and are the most littered item globally. Fortunately, through a partnership between Keep America Beautiful and TerraCycle the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program exists to collect and recycle these butts into useful products like park benches and planters, helping to keep them out of our environment. Click HERE to learn more about the program and how you can recycle cigarette butts, too.
Gum is another small and often carelessly discarded item, sticking to sidewalks and park benches. However, some companies, like TerraCycle and the UK based Gumdrop ltd, offer recycling for this stubborn substance? Used gum can be transformed into pencils, shoe soles, and travel mugs!
When it comes to mattress recycling, did you know that up to 80% of an old mattress can be repurposed? The metal springs, foam, and wood can all find new life, reducing waste in landfills and contributing to a circular economy. Check with your local municipality for any curbside recycling options or hard-to-recycle item drop off events.
While plastic bags are made from plastic, they cannot be included with other plastics in your home recycling bin, as they can easily get caught in machinery at recycling facilities. However, this doesn’t mean they can’t be recycled. Instead, you should look for designated drop-off locations, such as your local grocery store, where you can recycle them properly and give them a second chance instead of ending up in landfills.
Styrofoam, or expanded polystyrene (EPS), is another material that poses challenges when it comes to recycling. Many curbside recycling programs do not accept Styrofoam due to its lightweight nature and tendency to break into small pieces, making it difficult to process. However, recycling options do exist! Some specialized recycling facilities and drop-off locations accept Styrofoam for recycling, where it can be transformed into new products, such as insulation or packaging materials. To find a nearby facility, check with your local waste management department or search online for EPS recycling programs in your area.
Lastly, what should you do with leftover paint? Have you ever finished painting a room or a canvas and found yourself wondering how to dispose of the remaining paint? Instead of throwing it in the trash and sending it to a landfill, consider recycling or donating it. Check with your local municipality for upcoming recycling programs, look up household hazardous waste events, or reach out to organizations like Habitat for Humanity, which may welcome your donation. You can turn unwanted paint into a resource for others!
Think you know your recyclables? Put your knowledge to the test with our fun Recycling Quiz HERE.
Recycling is essential for protecting the environment, and this America Recycles Day, Keep America Beautiful encourages everyone to take the extra step to learn how and where to recycle properly as part of the Greatest American Cleanup. Join us in this grassroots initiative to clean up and green up America by July 4, 2026—our nation’s 250th birthday. Together, we can make a meaningful impact on our environment!
Click HERE to learn more about the Greatest American Cleanup and discover how you or your community can get involved.
About Keep America Beautiful®:
Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful strives to end littering, improve recycling, and beautify America’s communities. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Donate and take action at kab.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
McCall Vrydaghs
Keep America Beautiful®