Simply Trying Recycling Guide
This is a collection of the recycling resources I have come across. Please contact me if you have any other great resources to add! Fret not if you don't live in Oregon, as most of these are nation-wide resources.
A great place to start in Oregon is the Oregon Metro Recycling Page. If you do not live in Oregon, check your state or county for similar resources.
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CURBSIDE RECYCLING
Be informed about what you can actually recycle curbside. There may be more options than you think. More importantly, if you add too many items that cannot be recycled, then you risk them throwing everything into the landfill instead. LAUNDRY DETERGENT BOTTLES
Go to Terra Cycles Fabric Care Recycling page to help you locate free laundry bottle recycling (caps too!). SIMPLE SUNDRIES - Plastic lids, pumps, spray tops, and more!
Simple Sundries is a local Portland company which reuses (even better!) rather than recycles. They take so many things, you have to check out their website. You can easily drop off your items at their donation location. They also team up with James Recycling (see below) events to make it easy for you to drop off your stuff. There's more - you can also buy their refillable products! ELECTRONICS
Best Buy e-cycles electronics, appliances and cables. You just drop them off at the customer service counter. BATTERIES & LIGHT BULBS
Batteries Plus or IKEA has a collection bin by the exit. or Ridwell collects them at your door! PLASTIC, FOAM & PAPER PACKAGING
This one took me awhile to find, but I was delighted when I finally did. SealedAir offers recycling for a variety of packaging materials that are otherwise very difficult to recycle. CORK
ReCORK has drop boxes for your wine corks (or other cork products, though I cannot think of what those might be - maybe IKEA coasters?). |
RIDWELL - So many things!
Ridwell is new to the Portland area and a great way to recycle at your front door. Ridwell accepts batteries, lightbulbs, plastic bags you cannot recycle at the store (including Amazon plastic bags), as well as clothing, shoes, and textiles. Additionally, they have a rotating 5th category with every pick-up. JAMES RECYCLING
James Recycling is another great recycling at your door/curbside. They pick-up a plethora of plastics, corks, electronics, holiday lights, etc... Additionally, they have monthly drop-off events where the team up with even more local recycling resources so you can quickly and easily recycle everything at once. PLASTIC BAGS
Trex collects bags and turn them into decking material. However, it’s not just plastic bags. They take cereal bags,cracker bags, plastic packaging, newspaper bags, dry cleaner bag, plastic wrap from packaging, plastic shipping bags with labels removed, ice bags, bags labeled #2 or #4. Drop them off at Target, Winco or your local school might even have a drop box. STYROFOAM & #6 PLASTIC
Agilyx in addition to styrofoam, they also take #6 plastic (which includes solo cups, plastic utensils, and some take-out containers), and CD cases (papers & CDs removed). CDs & DVD
There is no facility in Oregon to recycle CDs, but you find out where to mail to CD Recycling Center of America. CLOTHES & SHOES
Items in good condition should be donated, however, once something is worn out, clothes and shoes can be recycled. GAIA and H & M used to be options for this, but since the pandemic, they seem to have suspended their services. For now, Ridwell is the only option I have found for this. Please let me know if you see any more! |
EVERYTHING ELSE
Terra Cycle offers many free recycling programs. They have partnered with companies such as Colgate, Burts Bees, Herbal Essences, Go Go Squeeze, etc…to recycle their products for free. They also offer boxes you can buy to recycle anything else you can think of. |