What Should I Do With...?
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Ammunition
Antifreeze
Antifreeze should not be poured down the drain. Antifreeze (not mixed with oil or other substances) can be recycled at the Alpha Ridge Residents' Convenience Center Monday-Saturday 8am to 4pm. Please leave container for attendant to empty.
Appliances
Working appliances should be reused/donated. Check out BGE to earn cash, list them on Craigslist or FreeCycle, schedule a pick-up from The Loading Dock, or simply put them at the curb with a FREE sign. For non-working appliances, schedule a scrap metal collection (call 410-313-6444) or take appliances to the scrap metal area at Alpha Ridge Landfill. Refrigerators (doors removed), air conditioners and dehumidifiers must be placed next to the scrap metal drop-off so the Freon can be removed.
Baby/Kid's Items 
Donate useable items, such a strollers and high chairs to a local charity or second-hand store, or visit BabyEarth.com to learn about their mail-in program. Buy and sell kid's items using ThredUP, Swapbabygoods.com or toystotrade.com. Remove the padding from a car seat and recycle the plastic at your curb or at Alpha Ridge Landfill.
Batteries
Alkaline batteries after 1995 are OK to be disposed of in your regular trash. For other batteries, including rechargeable and button, see our Batteries webpage.
Bicycles
Donate bicycles to Goodwill or the Salvation Army for reuse. Consider Bikes for the World to donate to less developed countries. If your bike isn't in good condition, contact your local bike store to see if they can use the parts or as a last resort, recycle it with scrap metal at Alpha Ridge Landfill.
Binders
Three-ring PVC binders can be recycled in your normal curbside recycling or at Alpha Ridge Landfill. Binders that include fabric and zippers should be donated to goodwill or trashed if they are ripped and non-functional.
Books 
Bras
Check out BraRecycling.com, a textile company that recycles and reuses used and unused bras. Bras can also be donated to Goodwill, Salvation Army, Purple Heart, Planet Aid, etc.
Brita Water Filters.jpg "Water filter")
Look for "Gimme 5" recycling drop-off locations to recycle used Brita Filters or mail them to Preserve Gimme 5, 823 NYS Rte 13, Cortland, NY 13045. For more information, visit preserveproducts.com.
Building Supplies (Reusable)
Candles
Millhouse candles accepts unpainted wax (soywax, beeswax, paraffin, tapers, tea light, jars, pillars, scented or unscented - ALL COLORS). Mail donations to Millhouse Candles, P.O. Box 148, Keedysville, MD 21756-0148 or take them to a participating event (check events on their website). Visit www.millhousecandles.com.
Cardboard
Carpet
Planning for new carpet? When shopping around, ask the contractors if they recycle the used carpet. Visit the Carpet America Recovery Effort for information about carpet recycling. Or, recycle carpet at Alpha Ridge Landfill (tipping fee will apply).
Catalogs
Stop receiving catalogs you no longer read or need. Visit CatalogChoice.org to reduce junk mail. Remember: Reducing waste is better than recycling!
CDs & DVDs and Cases
Usable CDs or DVDs should be donated to your local library, Goodwill or The Salvation Army. For kid's DVDs, contact your local pediatric hospital. Send CDs to Murfie that stores the discs, recycles the jewel cases and creates digital versions of your music for you to download. Recycle non-usable CDs & DVDs and cases for FREE at Best Buy stores. Visit Greendisk.com, cdrecyclingforfree.com or its.easy2recycle.com for mail-in recycling programs.
Cell Phones
CFL Bulbs and Fluorescent Tubes
Visit our CFL recycling webpage. Please note that light bulbs/tubes, including CFL and incandescent, do not go in your recycling bin. Please put incandescent bulbs in your household trash and refer to the CFL recycling page for proper disposal of other bulbs and tubes.
Chopsticks
Christmas and Holiday Lights 
If your lights still work, donate them to Goodwill or Salvation Army. If you have broken lights, send them to HolidayLEDs.com or Christmas Light Source for recycling and a coupon for new lights.
(Artificial) Christmas Trees
(Live) Christmas Trees
Drop-off undecorated trees at Alpha Ridge Landfill (2350 Marriottsville Rd), Monday-Saturday, 8am to 4pm.
Cleats
Caring Cleats collects used soccer cleats and redistributes them to the Tarahumara Indian community in Chihuahua, Mexico. For more information, email Kennedy Citro at kennedycitro@verizon.net, or call 443-433-2386.
Clothing
Donate clothing to local charities or shelters, such as Goodwill and Salvation Army. Or, bring gently used clothing to the Alpha Ridge Residents' Convenience Area. Clothing collected at the Convenience Area is donated to Go Green for the Cause. And, print a tax receipt on their website. Have items that aren't wearable? Donate them! Many donation organization partner with rag manufacturers.
Dress Clothes Check out Success in Style in Savage Mill to donate new or gently worn business clothing and accessories. Dress for Success accepts women's interview attire via mail-in or drop-off. To donate men's interview attire, visit Career Gear in Baltimore or contact Million Dollar Man at 410-465-0295 or mdm2429@gmail.com
Compressed Gas Tanks
Propane, helium & oxygen tanks and fire extinguishers are accepted at the Alpha Ridge Convenience Center. Also consider returning tanks to the seller.
Construction, Renovation & Demolition Items
Cooking Oil
The Alpha Ridge Landfill accepts vegetable-based cooking oil for recycling. Any type of liquid vegetable oil (i.e., peanut, corn, canola, olive, etc) is accepted.
Corks
Crayons
Make new crayons by microwaving old crayon stubs in a paper cup for 15-second intervals. The melted crayon blob will harden into a new crazy and colorful crayon! Or visit CrazyCrayons.com to learn about a mail-in program for old crayons.
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Electronics
Recycle or donate electronic items. For general information click here. Some manufacturers will supply prepaid boxes and a coupon for your next purchase.
Energy Bar Wrappers, Chip Bags, Juice Pouches
Crinkly wrappers from chips and snack bars are not recyclable in Howard County. However, Terracycle collects wrappers to make handbags, pencil cases and more. Contact your local school to see if they have a collection program. Terracycle pays $.02 for every wrapper collected. Visit Terracycle.net.
Exercise Videos
Eye Glasses
Donate old glasses so they can be worn rather than take up drawer space. Check your local eye doctor or the Columbia Lions Club webpage for locations.
Fleece Products
Patagonia's Common Threads Garment Recycling Program collects worn out Patagonia fleece, Polartec fleece clothing, Patagonia cotton T-shirts and some additional products with the Common Threads tag. Garments can be mailed to the Patagonia service center or dropped off at a retail location. For more information, visit Patagonia.com.
Flip Flops
Food Scraps
Compost items such as banana peels, vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and egg shells to make a nutrient-rich soil. For more information and details about a free compost bin, visit our Composting webpage.
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Game Consoles
Trade-in old video games and consoles to get credit for new items. Visit local game stores or EZtradein.com.
Garden Equipment
Garden Harvest, in Northern Baltimore, donates all of its organic produce to the poor. They need farm and garden tools, not only for growing & delivering organic fruits & vegetables, but also for the poor in Appalachia. For details, visit www.gardenharvest.org.
Gift Cards
Glass Bottles & Jars
Any color glass bottles & jars can be recycled in your curbside recycling, or taken to the Alpha Ridge Residents' Convenience Center (just show your driver's license). Please no window glass, drinking glasses, mirrors, ceramics, crystal, fluorescent light bulbs or incandescent light bulbs, CorningWare or Pyrex. While these items might look similar to glass bottles and jars, the glass actually has a different melting point and therefore should not be mixed.
Golf Clubs
The First Tee of Baltimore accepts good condition golf equipment to help Baltimore's children gain valuable life skills. Call 410-889-1283 for more information.
Grills
Grills can be recycled with scrap metal. Call 410-313-6444 to schedule a curbside scrap metal collection or recycle a grill at Alpha Ridge Residents' Convenience Center (just show your driver's license). You can also recycle your propane tank at Alpha Ridge in the compressed gas tank area. Please do not put gas tanks in the scrap metal area.
Hangers
Plastic Hangers 
Contact your local donation center to see if they need hangers. Reuse is the best option, but tubular, colored hangers can be placed in your curbside recycling container or taken to the Alpha Ridge Landfill Residents' Convenience Area. Please note that clear, acrylic plastic hangers are not recyclable.
Wire Hangers
Contact your local dry cleaner to see if they will take back wire hangers or reuse them with these great craft ideas. If you can't find a reuse home, group the hangers together, tape them around the neck and at one spot around the bottom and place the hangers in your curbside recycling. Taping the wire hangers allows them to be more easily separated at the recycling plant.
Hockey Equipment
Restore Hockey cleans, refurbishes and repairs used equipment and then donates the items to children, families and organizations. For more information, visit www.restorehockey.org.
Household Hazardous Waste
Ink Cartridges 
Take ink and toner cartridges to the Howard County Animal Shelter on Davis Road (they recycle and make some money). Or, check out retailers such as Staples, Office Depot, Best Buy, Walgreens and the Post Office for ink cartridge take back programs. Some offer an incentive coupon.
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Jeans
Junk Mail
Check out these 25 ways to reduce or reuse your junk mail. Or, of course, you can recycle all that junk mail!
K-Cups
At this time, K-Cups are not recyclable in Howard County's program. However, the coffee inside can be composted in your backyard compost pile. Check out this mail back recycling program and watch a video to learn more about Keurig's sustainability measures.
Lego
Light Bulbs
Burnt-out incandescent light bulbs can be disposed in the trash. Have CFLs? Please take these bulbs to a customer take-back program at Home Depot, Lowes, My Organic Market (MOMs), Ikea or to an Alpha Ridge Landfill HHW day on Saturdays (April-November).
Mason Jars
Mattresses & Box Springs
Mattresses & box springs can now be recycled at Alpha Ridge Landfill. Residents can also schedule curbside bulk item collection by calling 410-313-6444. Mattresses & box springs collected at the curb will not be recycled. If possible, take them to the Alpha Ridge to give them a chance to be made into something new!
Medical and Rehabilitation Equipment 
Have crutches or a wheelchair you no longer need? Donate gently used items to the Loan Closet. Donated items are made available to those who can't afford equipment or only require items on a short-term basis. For more information, visit the Loan Closet.
Medication
Please DO NOT flush unwanted medications down the toilet.
Options:
- Place the pills or liquid in a plastic zip-top bag with coffee grounds, flour or kitty litter and put the bag in your regular trash. This makes the medicines
undesirable and prevents toxins from contaminating our drinking water.
- Local pharmacies may offer take-back or mail-in programs. Rite Aid ($3.99), CVS ($3.99), Walgreens ($3.99) and Giant sell prepaid envelopes that can be filled with unwanted medication and mailed to a facility that properly handles disposal.
- Take advantage of government-sponsored programs when available. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has offered prescription drug take-back programs. Visit www.dea.gov for information.
- Visit www.disposemymeds.org for additional information and details.
Once you have safely disposed of the medication, recycle the empty medicine bottles.
Metal Cans
Needles (Medical Sharps)
1) Place used needles in a plastic bottle to protect the trash collection crew. When the bottle is full, add the cap and place the bottle in your trash.
2) Check your local pharmacy to see if they offer disposal or exchange services.
3) Sharps Disposal Services.
- American Waste Management
2300 Essex St
Baltimore, MD 21224
(410) 276-7400
4) Purchase containers for safe mail-in disposal.
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Oil & Filters
Paint 
Check out this paint calculator to avoid leftovers. Hold a paint swap with neighbors and friends so that usable paint doesn't go to waste. Mix white (or colored) paints together to give walls or furniture a fresh look. Solidify old and unusable paint by adding an absorbent material such as cat litter, shredded newspaper, leaves, sawdust, dirt or a paint hardener. If there isn't much paint left in the can, leave the lid off to air dry. Once solidified, leave the lid off so the contractors can see it's solid and set it out with your regular trash. For more ideas, visit www.ehow.com.
Paper
Place in your curbside recycling or taken to the Alpha Ridge Residents' Convenience Center: newspapers & inserts, phone books, junk mail (even window envelopes), food & snack boxes, paperback books, hardback books, greeting cards, gift wrap (no foil type), catalogs, magazines, tubes for paper towels & toilet paper, shoe boxes, household paperboard boxes, paper board egg cartons, shredded paper (please secure in , paper bag or white/clear plastic bag), milk cartons and juice boxes.
Plastic Bags
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - in that order. Use reusable bags so you have less plastic bags. If you already have a few, check out plastic bag reuse ideas. If you can't reuse, then recycle. While bags can be bundled for regular recycling, it's best to take them back to your local retail store. Many locations partner directly with TREX who uses bags to make plastic wood. Here's a plastic bag/film cheat sheet with more.
Plastic Clamshells
Plastic clamshells, used for produce, berries and salad bars, are NOT recyclable in Howard County. Why aren't they recyclable? Although they may appear to be similar to your PET water bottles, clamshells often include labels and glues that are not easily removable which increases processing costs. While we wait for technology and markets to become available for recycling, consider these reuse ideas to keep those clamshells out of the trash.
Plastic Containers and Items
Pots and Pans 
Roofing Shingles
Shingles can be recycled at the Alpha Ridge Residents' Convenience Center. Paper and nails may be mixed with roofing shingles. Please make sure trash and wood are NOT included. Effective July 1, 2006 - A tipping fee of $50/ton will be charged for all deliveries of shingles to the recycling center. Shingles mixed with other waste will be charged at the Solid Waste rate. Did you know? One normal-sized roof recycled into road mix makes about 200 feet of a two-lane highway (Earth911).
Smoke Detectors 
It's best to return smoke alarms to the original supplier. For the address, check the product warranty or user manual or see our company list. For more information, visit www.epa.gov.
Sneakers 
Soap
Schools, clubs, corporations, churches and civic groups can get involved by participating in a community soap drive. To register a soap drive, visit cleantheworld.org. Or, here's a DIY project that reuses soap leftovers.
Solar Lights 
Sports Equipment
Stuffed Animals
Styrofoam™
Styrofoam™ can be recycled at Alpha Ridge Residents' Convenience Center. Items must be labeled with the #6 in the recycling symbol. See our Styrofoam™ website for restrictions. Or, purchase Recycla-Paks from Dart to collect and mail cups, which are recycled into picture frames. Visit dartcontainer.com for more.
Check with your local UPS store to see if they collect Styrofoam for recycling. Foam blocks are also accepted by the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers (AFPR). Call 410-451-8340 for drop-off details. AFPR is located at 1298 Cronson Blvd, Suite 201, Crofton, MD 21114. Lifoam Industries accepts clean styrofoam™ blocks for recycling via mail-in or drop-off to 121 Bata Blvd # D, Belcamp MD 21017. For more information, (410) 272-8060.
Styrofoam™ Packing Peanuts 
Styrofoam™ peanuts can't be recycled at Alpha Ridge Landfill. However, local shipping retailers may accept the peanuts for reuse. Contact your local retailer such as Mail Boxes Etc, Fedex and UPS. Visit loosefillpackaging.com for a searchable list of drop-off locations or call the Peanut Hotline at 1-800-828-2214.
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Tennis Balls
Consider donating old tennis balls to your local nursing/retirement community. The balls make great caps for the feet of walkers. Or, start a collection drive at your school or community and Rebounces will repressurize and resell the tennis balls. Visit Rebounces.com for a prepaid shipping label.
Textbooks
Tires
Recycle automobile and truck tires at the Alpha Ridge Residents' Convenience Center. (Commercial haulers see Landfill Fee Schedule). ARL does not accept tires on rims, tires over 4' in diameter or over 15" in width. NOTE: Rims can be recycled in the scrap metal container. Limit of 4 tires per year.
Towels
Have old towels that are frayed or stained? Donate them to your local animal shelter or check out these other great towel ideas.
Toys
Set up a toy swap with friends and neighbors. Donate old toys to Salvation Army, Goodwill or similar donation site. Or, check out toysfortrade.com, toyswap.com, craigslist or eBay to find new uses for those toys.
T-Shirts
Of course you can donate t-shirts to your favorite charity, but if you have shirts that you just can't bear to part with, check out these great reuse projects for 'upcycling' t-shirts.
Tyvek Envelopes
To encourage recycling, DuPont started a mail-in collection program for Tyvek envelopes. The envelopes can be recycled into plastic lumber benches and playground equipment. Visit the Tyvek website for more information.
Umbrellas
Have a broken umbrella? Click here for repair and reuse ideas. Or, remove the fabric and recycle the base with scrap metal at Alpha Ridge Landfill.
Unique Items
For those unique (or antique) items, check out online sale sites such as eBay.com, or search for a local consignment shop.
Vacuum Cleaners
If the vacuum still works, please consider donating it. If the vacuum cannot be fixed, recycle it with electronics at the Alpha Ridge Landfill or visit GoVacuum.com to learn about a recycling/payment program.
VHS Tapes, Cassette Tapes, etc.
Wedding Dresses and Accessories
X-Rays
Yard Trim
Yoga Mats
Send your used yoga mats to The Bolder Mat Company and receive a $5 coupon for a new mat or accessory. The company will refurbish and donate the mat to a charity that teaches at-risk populations about the benefits of yoga. Visit theboldermatcompany.com for more information.
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Other Donation Opportunities
Swap Sites
The Baltimore FREE Store
This 'store' accepts usable items for donation, including clothing, household items, small furniture and shoes. Most items will then be offered for free to promote reuse. For more details, visit www.baltimorefreestore.org or call 410-340-9004.
Let's work together to keep recyclable
and reusable items out of the trash!
Please send additional websites or locations to AAMoore@howardcountymd.gov.
This information is provided as a service to residents.
Howard County does not endorse products, services or vendors.