Paper. Glass. Plastic. Aluminum. Many people recycle these items, whether in single-stream or segmented fashion. However, there are plenty of objects available for recycling you may not know about. Use the following list as a starting point for further reducing your household and business waste to keep your carbon footprint minimal.

Items You Can Recycle

Glasses & Hearing Aids

Old glasses and hearing aids are regularly collected by charitable organizations to help those who cannot afford new options see and hear clearly. Some programs send glasses and hearing aids to developing nations.

Wine Corks

Grocery stores collect wine corks. The sustainable material is repurposed in many ways, including as chairs, shoes, bulletin boards, and boxes. 

Batteries

The caustic nature of batteries creates problems for recycling machines. Most automotive part stores take old auto batteries, while home improvement stores collect remote control and other dry-cell units.

Water Filters

Instead of throwing out old water filters, bring them with you on your next shopping trip. Whole Foods® takes them, while filter brands, such as Brita®, offer a recycling program.

Pet Fur

Several organizations desire clean pet fur to create hair mats that absorb oil spills. Pet fur and hair is also stuffed into old pantyhose to make oil-absorbing containment booms.

Keys

Those old keys taking up space in your junk drawer are recyclable through programs that recycle keys and donate the proceeds. Recycling centers often take keys as well — simply ask if they accept mixed metal.

Marangi Disposal is the full-service waste disposal and recycling company proudly serving clients from Orange County, NY, to Pike County, PA. Established in 1999, this family-owned and -operated business also rents out roll-off containers of various sizes to make waste removal a streamlined process. Call (800) 595-7660 to request a waste disposal quote and visit them online for more on their services.