Local Recycling from A-Z
We’re still riding that green bandwagon (CFL bulbs anyone?). So much so that last week we went to wheel the ‘ol trash can out to the curb only to realize it was completely empty – and our recycling bin was running over.
This is by no means a regular occurrence in the Whited household but it did inspire us to look for even more ways to recycle around the casa.
So we thought we’d share our little A-Z primer on recycling in the Triangle. For those letters and items that we couldn’t find a great local source for, we’ve improvised – you’ll see what we mean.
Yes, some of these are not your average items. We tried to turn our focus away from the usual curbside pickup and more towards the unusual. Tennis balls anyone?
A
Aluminum:
JD Recyclers, 2645 Cheek Road Durham, NC
919-219-4314
Buys aluminum siding, cans, wheels and foil among many other scrap items and sells scrap pipe, metal pieces, storage units and racks. We’ve heard this is a great place for artists to score salvaged materials.
B
Bicycles:
ReCYCLEry, 108 North Graham Street Chapel Hill, NC
919-533-9196
The ReCYCLEry is a non-profit that accepts donated bicycles and teaches repair and maintenance skills. It also holds mobile repair days where it travels into the community to conduct bike repair on the spot. The ReCYCLEry cannot accept bikes that are severely rusted but will take bikes in fair to excellent condition.
C
Crayons:
National Crayon Recycle Program
This organizations melts Crayons down to make new ones.
D
Denim:
Cotton from Blue to Green
Donate your old blue jeans and this organization will break them down, fluff them up and use them for natural fiber cotton insulation in homes (after treating them for fire safety and mold resistance of course).
E
Eyeglasses:
Lenscrafters, The Streets at Southpoint 6910 Fayetteville Road Durham, NC
919-361-9488
Accepts gently worn eyeglasses for men, women and children. After cleaning and repairing glasses, they are donated to clinics around the world.
F
Furniture:
Habitat for Humanity ReStore, 5501 Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard Durham, NC
919-403-8668
G
Glue Bottles:
Elmer’s Glue Crew Recycling
H
Hair:
Locks of Love
Helps children with medical hair loss. Donations must be at least 10 inches long.
I
Ink Cartridges: Office Max 5458 New Hope Commons Drive Durham, NC
919-489-2277
J
Jackets:
Salvation Army, 3167 Hillsborough Road Durham, NC
919-384-7130
www.salvationarmycarolinas.org
K
Keys:
Key for Hope 69 Memorial Drive Avon, MA
800-949-5424
This Massachusetts organization recycles keys and uses the money to support local programs. We couldn’t locate a similar organization in our area, so if you know of one let us know!
L
Lawn Mowers:
Durham County Swap Shop, Redwood Road @ Electra Road
http://www.co.durham.nc.us/departments/gnsv/Swap_Shop.html
Very similar to the City of Durham Swap Shop (see S), accepts an assortment of working items. Items are free to residents. There is a do not donate list on the website.
M
Mattresses:
Nine Lives Mattress Recycling, 837 N. Pamplico Highway Pamplico, SC
843-916-9753
www.ninelivesmattressrecycling.com
The only mattress and boxspring recycler in the Southeast, Nine Lives charges $4 per mattress or boxspring. Not heading to Pamplico any time soon? It might be best to donate it.
N
Nikes:
Reuse A Shoe
http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/
Since its start in 1990 25 million shoes have been recycled through this program. Nike takes you old tennis shoes (they don’t have to actually be Nikes) and grinds them up and uses the scraps to create athletic courts, running trails and playground flooring.
O
Oyster Shells:
North Carolina Division of Machine Fisheries Durham County Recycling Center, Quail Roost Rd. & Ball Rd.
http://www.ncdmf.net/shellfish/recycle3.htm
Shells are collected throughout the year and used to help rebuild reefs.
P
Prom Dresses:
Kayla’s Closet, 921 Morreene Road Durham, NC
919-313-1506
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=51677831118
Accepts donations of gently used prom dress, debutante gowns, bridesmaid gowns, shoes and other formal accessories. Donations are then given to young ladies in need of dresses at no cost to them. At the end of the season unclaimed dresses are also accessible to local school drama departments.
Q
Quilts:
Any number of places like the Salvation Army, Goodwill or other local charity. We know, we know – a bit of a cop out, but Q was hard!
R
Roof Shingles:
CC Mangum Company , 6105 Chapel Hill Road Raleigh, NC
919-783-5700
S
Small Appliances:
City of Durham Swap Shop, 2115 East Club Boulevard
www.ci.durham.nc.us/departments/solid/swap_shop2.cfm
In addition to small appliances the Swap Shop also accepts cds, lawn mowers, furniture, cookware, etc. All items are free and residents do not have to drop items off in order to take an item home. The Swap Shop does NOT accept books, clothing, car parts, weapons or animals.
T
Tennis Balls:
Rebounces, 1313 Highway 62-65 North, Suite F Harrison, AR
888-630-5696
U
Sorry guys! We couldn’t think of anything that started with a “u” that wasn’t weird for recycling.
V
VHS Tapes:
Green Disk
W
Wine Corks:
Wine Cork Recycling, Yemm & Hart Ltd., 610 South Chamber Drive Fredericktown MO
X
Xylophone:
We’d recommend calling a local school to ask if you can donate one of these guys or any other musical instrument you might not be using.
Y
Yard Signs:
Election day may be over but you can still repurpose those campaign yard signs for future garage sales or other neighborhood events. Otherwise, the plastic and metal should be eligible for recycling through your local municipality.
Z
Zip Disks:
Green Disk
Anyone have any other ideas for reusing common household items or know of something we’ve missed? How about posting a comment for the benefit of the group?
Photo: Fast Company
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Don’t forget about the Durham Bike Co-Op for bike recycling. They accept used bicycles and offer them up to community members to repair and then keep.