washington dc recycling guide
Greater Goods will recycle the following in our U Street store:
- Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs) - 50¢ each
- Printer Cartridges - Free
- Old Cell Phones - Free
- Spent Rechargeable Batteries (from power tools, laptops, cell phones, appliances, etc.) - Free
DC Municipal Recycling
In DC, There are many things you can put in your recycling bin, and some things you cannot. Here is a guide to what you can and cannot recycle here in DC:
GLASS |
YES |
Rinsed and Empty glass food and beverage containers should be
recycled. Lids and labels can stay on.
|
NO |
Dishes, light bulbs, fluorescent bulbs*, windows, mirror glass or glass
cookware. They melt at a different temperature from glass bottles. Please recycle fluorescent bulbs at Greater Goods or at the Hazardous Household Waste drop-off at the Benning Road Transfer Station.
|
| |
METAL |
YES |
Rinsed and Empty tin, aluminum and steel food and beverage
cans; lids and labels can stay on. Clean aluminum pie plates and foil.
Aerosol cans. Do not crush metal containers.
|
NO |
Auto parts, kitchen supplies, bicycles, and furniture.
|
| |
PLASTIC |
YES |
Empty, narrow-necked bottles (plastic codes 1 through 7). These include water, soda, milk,
juice, and detergent bottles. Lids and labels can stay on. plastic
bags, wide-mouthed containers, rigid plastics (large toys, jugs, laundry
baskets, lawn furniture, butter tubs, yogurt cups, medicine bottles). To save space, flatten the bottles.
|
NO |
Bottles from automotive products, pesticides or other toxins. Foam
products (e.g. cups, peanuts, trays), plastic food wrapping, food/computer
product clamshells.
|
| |
PAPER |
YES |
Drink containers: paper-based egg and berry cartons are
okay, if clean. Tetrapak containers, e.g. Juice, wine, milk (with
multiple layers of material and/or pour spouts)
Mixed papers: Recycle all papers together including white and colored
papers, envelopes, forms, file folders, tablets, junk mail, cereal boxes,
wrapping paper, catalogs, magazines and phone books. It is okay to
include metal staples, clips, glue, labels, and plastic windows on envelopes. Please remove plastic bindings and dividers from
documents. Photos are okay, but not "instant" film (eg. Polaroids).
Newspaper: All inserts that come with the newspaper can be recycled. Put them loose into the cart. Please remove
internal plastic baggies (e.g. ad sections).
Cardboard boxes and brown paper bags: Remove packaging, then flatten and place in cart or bin.
Shredded Paper: For residents shredding their outgoing fiber
(usually for information security concerns), paper bagging is advised,
but not recommended for any other reason.
|
NO |
Plastic-based foam egg cartons, Clamshell berry containers, Plastic coated
(laminated) paper, blueprints, waxed cardboard, cups/plates,
tissues, paper towels, or "instant" film (eg. Polaroids) and food contaminated
paper.
|
| |
FORBIDDEN ITEMS |
|
Carpet/upholstery
Carry-out containers
Clothing
Diapers
Furniture/toys
Hardback books
Cookware, kitchen appliances or utensils
Leaves/dirt
Pizza boxes
Wire hangers |
DC HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE/E-CYCLING DROP-OFF SITE
DPW now provides weekly Household Hazardous Waste/E-cycling collections for District residents on Saturdays at the Benning Road Trash Transfer Station, 3200 Benning Road, NE, 8 am to 3 pm. The District also offers the metropolitan area’s first permanent weekly document shredding service for residents.
Accepted Household Hazardous Waste includes: Leftover cleaning and gardening chemicals, small quantities of gasoline, pesticides and poisons, mercury thermometers, paint, solvents, spent batteries of all kinds, antifreeze, chemistry sets, automotive fluids, and asbestos tiles, fluorescent light bulbs, polishes, and moth balls.
Unacceptable items: Ammunition, bulk trash, wooden TV consoles, propane tanks, microwave ovens, air conditioners and other appliances, as well as radioactive or medical wastes.
Residents can also e-cycle end-of-life consumer electronics, including audio-visual equipment, televisions, VCRs, cell phones and home office equipment such as computers, computer parts, printers, photocopiers and fax machines. These machines will be broken down into their component parts (plastic, glass, toxic metals) and recycled or disposed of safely.
Please go to the DPW Website for more information.
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