Recycling Services

We have a range of recycling services available at the center for you to help keep more trash out of the landfill, from contact lenses, to ripped clothes and old shoes - even batteries!

TerraCycle

We have recently decided to discontinue our Terracycle collection boxes (with the exception of contact lenses & Brita water filters). It was our hope three years ago, that Terracycle would provide us with a means of properly disposing of many "non-recyclable" items, such as toothpaste tubes, plastic razors, and deodorant sticks. We were optimistic that these corporate producers would take responsibility, not only to fund the management of their waste, but to work towards using more sustainable materials moving forward. Unfortunately, these companies have continued to produce new plastics at an alarming rate & we have learned that the recyclability of plastic is actually very limited, and toxic.

As of 2017, only 5-6% of all plastics are recycled, and of that, only 2% are actually effectively recycled (meaning a plastic water bottle becomes another plastic water bottle). The rest is down-cycled into a product of less value, such as a single-use plastic bag. This plastic bag is most often used only once before ending up in the landfill. (Judith Enck, Beyond Plastics Class).

“The plastics industry – including fossil fuel, petrochemical and consumer goods companies – continues to put forward plastic recycling as the solution to the plastic pollution crisis,” said Graham Forbes, who leads Greenpeace USA’s global plastics campaign. “But … the toxicity of plastic actually increases with recycling. Plastics have no place in a circular economy and it’s clear that the only real solution to ending plastic pollution is to massively reduce plastic production," (Recycled plastic can be more toxic and is no fix for pollution, Greenpeace warns The Guardian, 2023).

“It is cheaper to just make a new plastic product than to collect it and recycle it or reuse it,” (scientificamerican, 2022)

We feel that there are more alternatives available to us now & we can more readily make the eco-friendly choice. If you are unsure of how you can make the switch, reach out & we can figure out a solution together! Also, if you'd like to continue to collect through Terracycle at home, you can sign-up right through their website!

Thank you for your understanding as we take this next step. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this decision further, we would be happy to connect! It's an interesting & important conversation-

What we accept:

* = Brand Specific

*Brita: Brita filters, pitchers, dispensers, bottles, faucet systems, and packaging.

Contact Lenses: ALL BRANDS contact lenses and blister packs (Biotrue contact lens cases, contact lens solution caps (no bottles), eye drop single dose units and eye drop bottles.

Battery Recycling

We also collect used batteries through Call2Recycle! All you have to do is make sure that the positive end of every battery is taped before you drop them off.

The pricing for battery recycling is:

  • AA or AAA: $0.07/oz

  • C Batteries: $0.50 each

  • D Batteries: $1.25 each

  • Larger than D batteries (like cell phones, computer batteries, etc.) : $5 each

What type of batteries do we accept?

Rechargeable batteries: Lithium Ion (Li-Ion), Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), Nickel Zinc (Ni-Zn), Small Sealed Lead Acid (SSLA/Pb)

Single-use (such as alkaline): AA, AAA, 9V, C, D and button cells; Lithium primary

We also accept old cell phones.

We do not offer electronics recycling, but check out Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency (https://ucrra.org/) or your local resource recovery agency to learn more about how you can safely dispose of old electronics like computers, TVs, etc.

What happens to the batteries we collect?

‘1 — Collection: Retail stores, small and large businesses, cities, towns and government agencies collect batteries (up to 11 lbs. or 5 kg) and cellphones at their locations. Collected items are then shipped to Call2Recycle’s responsible recycling partners.

2 — Sorting: Battery Solutions, INMETCO and Wistron receive the batteries at their warehouses, record details about the weight and battery types of the shipment, then separate the batteries by chemistry. Cellphones are sent to the TheWirelessAlliance for recycling.

3 — Process and Recovery: The batteries are now ready to be processed. Specific chemistry batteries are shipped to appropriate specialty processors. The processors extract useable metals to be used in the manufacturing of new products. Waste products are responsibly and safely disposed of according to Responsible Recycling (R2) and Basel Action Network (BAN) standards. Cellphones are either refurbished and resold or recycled, with the proceeds used to fund the cellphone collection program and educational outreach.’

Container Donation for Re-use In Store

We have a ‘free containers’ bin in the shop for you to drop off clean, dry containers that customers can use when refilling in our bulk marketplace. If you yourself are a customer and find yourself in or nearby the shop and need to refill some soaps/detergents - but forgot your containers at home, all the containers in this bin are free! Afterwards, you can clean them out and dry them and bring them back for the next person to use if they don’t have their containers on hand.

We just ask that you follow these guidelines when donating:

Remember, these are for customers to reuse while shopping in our bulk refill marketplace. If you would not want to use something as a refill container yourself, chances are no one else will either. We also cannot spend our time cleaning out dirty, wet containers with strong odors, or going through donations and having to put them into our recycling or trash bins because they do not fit the guidelines. please read through this entire list before bringing any donations into the store. thank you!

  • Container has a lid

  • Wide mouth containers only (aka no tiny spouts, caps that cannot be removed/opened, narrow mouth jars, etc.)

  • Container is dry with no residual liquid or food inside of it.

  • Container does not have a strong residual odor of food (ie. sauerkraut, pickles, mustard, kimchi, garlic pasta sauce, etc.)

  • Please no: wet, dirty, smelly containers; jars/containers with no lid; narrow lids; pickle jars (they smell), wine bottles, drink containers (like kombucha, soda, etc.)

Textile Recycling

We have partnered with Helpsy, the largest textile collection company in the Northeast US, to keep clothes out of the trash. Bring your old, ripped or stained clothes, linens, towels, or old shoes and drop them in our blue donation bin tucked behind the store. Just make sure they are clean, dry and odorless.

Helpsy is a certified B Corp that collected over 25 million pounds of clothing last year - clothing that otherwise would have been sent to a landfill.

‘95% of what we collect is reused, upcycled, or recycled. 75% is reusable, 20% is recyclable. It is first sorted by our partners and divided into grades. The higher grades are resold to thrift stores in North America and other second hand markets around the world. The lower grades get turned into rags for industrial use or things like stuffing and insulation. Clothing reuse is a big deal. It reduces the enormous environmental burden of the second most polluting industry in the world.’

What we accept:

‘Anything you can wear, sleep in, or dry yourself off with!
This includes any type of material composed of natural or synthetic fibers such as products made from wool, silk, linen, cotton, polyester, leather, vinyl, hemp, and rayon. Our bins are not intended for commercial waste, cuttings, or scraps.’

To see a full list of what we accept, click here.