We know how to recycle newspapers, plastics and glass, but what about the everyday odd items in the house? Items such as wire clothing hangers, plastic shopping bags, and even compact discs can be taking up room in your house, but don’t throw them away! All of these items can be recycled.
Wire Clothing Hangers
Consider donating wire hangers to your local dry cleaners or another local clothing store for reuse. Be sure to clean the hangers before donating. You can also recycle wire hangers at a scrap yard in your area.
Plastic Shopping Bags
Until you can find the closest place to recycle, you can reuse a plastic bag as liners for small trash bins. Remember not to throw the bag away though.
Several businesses will now accept plastic bags to recycle by having a bin outside the store. In Lackawanna County, you can recycle plastic bags at these locations:
- Best Buy
- Lowe’s
- Target
- Most Grocery Stores
Compact Discs (CDs, DVDs)
Fortunately, there are 2 places in Lackawanna County that will recycle compact discs and their cases.
- Best Buy (Dickson City)
- Embassy Vinyl (Scranton)
Rechargeable Batteries
Rechargeable batteries that contain Nicad or Lithium can be recycled at many locations in Lackawanna County.
- Best Buy
- Clarks Summit
- Home Depot
- Lowe’s
- Viewmont Mall
Old Pots and Pans
Earth 911 has several helpful articles about properly recycling pots and pans from the kitchen. Here are a few tips they give.
- If the pots and pans only have a few scratches, consider donating them to a local Salvation Army or Goodwill store.
- For cookware that has seen better days, you will need to find a center that will recycle “Scrap Metal.”
- Learn if your cookware is ferrous or nonferrous.
- If your cookware attracts a magnet, it is ferrous.
- Make sure to ask your local scrap metal recycling center if they accept only ferrous or nonferrous cookware
You can read more about how to properly recycle all of your cookware on Earth 911’s website.
You can also view Lackawanna County’s website to see a complete list of hard-to-recyclable items and where to send them.
To learn more about recycling, check out these titles at the Library or put them on hold with your library card.
- Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough & Michael Braungart
- Use Less Stuff by: Environmentalism for We Really Are by Robert M. Lilienfeld
- Garbage Warrior (DVD)
- Garbage and Recycling by Candice Mancini (Young Adult)
Read more articles about going green by searching “Go Green” in the search box at the top of the page.